Sunderland’s Daniel Ballard wants nothing less than a win for Northern Ireland when they take on Luxembourg on Monday, despite Michael O’Neill’s side needing just a point to ensure they win their Nations League Group C3.
The Northern Irish moved two points clear of Bulgaria by beating Belarus on Friday night, with Ballard opening the scoring. It was a big moment for the Black Cats defender after a difficult season with injuries.
However, he has urged his teammates not to take their foot off the gas when they face Luxembourg and looks to seal their third consecutive win. Ballard’s goal got Northern Ireland under way against Belarus, and the Sunderland star wants that winning feeling again.
“I think it’s important we get used to that winning feeling,” Ballard said. “We’ve not experienced that as a group. This is a new group so it’s great for confidence.”
“It was probably one of my easier goals. I didn’t really see the ball until late and it was just a bit of a natural reaction but it’s really nice to score in front of the fans.
“I feel like I’ve got a natural sort of aggression to attack the ball, especially at the back and that’s something that can be really useful, especially in games like this where it’s hard to break teams down. A set-piece can be so important, so it’s always something I’ve been working on and I enjoy doing it.”
Ballard as he clocked up 70 minutes on Friday, having been restricted to just 11 for Regis Le Bris’ side in the best part of two months after injury.
“I think it’s nice to be back in from the start,” Ballard said. “I’ve not played much football this season so it was really important for me and I think the gaffer just wanted to manage my minutes. It was really positive and everything’s in the right direction now. Hopefully I can build on that and play more minutes.”
