" Ex Cardiff City Goalkeeper/ Now a Striker & Hero "

Does anybody remember this kid Josh Magennis he's now Kilmarnock striker. He was on Cardiff books as a youth player 2007-2009 as a goalkeeper then senior career 2009-10. Neil Ardley saw this kid header the ball and thought he not a goalkeeper. Went to Cardiff chairman at the time Peter risdale and manger Dave Jones said going to start playing him right back now this 25 year converted to striker scores his first international goal for Northern Ireland and will be playing in the Euros 2016 final. This is a fairytale story.

Anybody can remember a goalkeeper turn outfield player that has achieved this feet and played at a major championship before.

Well done josh all the best for France good luck

Josh Magennis, a proper football fairytale. Failed goalkeeper to striker that scores for your country,for N Ireland tonight to confirm a place at Euro 2016

Yeah always keep an eye out on ex players does well for Kilmarnock too

Broke his leg against blackpool for us I think or had a serious injury

Yeah always keep an eye out on ex players does well for Kilmarnock too

Broke his leg against blackpool for us I think or had a serious injury

Yes he did, in front of the family stand.

He played really well against Blackpool too they couldn't really deal with him, game changed then when he went off and it finished 1-1.

Also our fans were getting impatient and annoyed that Caruff went beating Blackpool, how little they knew

Yeah always keep an eye out on ex players does well for Kilmarnock too

Broke his leg against blackpool for us I think or had a serious injury

Yes he did, in front of the family stand.

Yes remember it well. That was the end of his Cardiff career.

Great that he's enjoying a bit of luck at last. He only played cos Lafferty and others were out but obviously took his chance.

He played really well against Blackpool too they couldn't really deal with him, game changed then when he went off and it finished 1-1.

Also our fans were getting impatient and annoyed that Caruff went beating Blackpool, how little they knew

And Holloway had one of his rants about it.

Northern Ireland are heading to their first ever European Championship after captain Steven Davis and Josh Magennis kicked off celebrations 30 years in the making at Windsor Park.

The nation has not been seen a major tournament since the 1986 World Cup but that will all change in France next summer after an unforgettable 3-1 victory in Belfast.

Michael O’Neill’s men knew three points would be enough to make history and, when Davis stabbed home Stuart Dallas’ 35th-minute cross, the promised land moved a mighty step closer.

But this was not a night when the Green and White Army would squeak home – this was a party.

Kilmarnock forward Magennis – a converted goalkeeper who had never scored an international goal before – made it two with a deft header and the inspirational Davis nodded in his second just before the hour mark.

The Southampton midfielder was just a year old when Billy Bingham’s boys went to Mexico and, having described this match as the biggest of his career at his pre-game press conference, he was a fitting figurehead.

So too Magennis, whose low profile and unique back story epitomise the spirit in this squad.

He would not have been on the pitch had Kyle Lafferty not been suspended – nor if he had made it with the gloves at Cardiff as a teenager.

Northern Ireland were without not just Lafferty but also the banned Chris Baird and Conor McLaughlin and the injured Jonny Evans and Aaron Hughes.

Their resources were tested to the limit, but the likes of Magennis, Paddy McNair and Corry Evans were not found wanting.

Their nerveless showing was met with unfettered delight by 11,700 frenzied fans - a number curtailed by construction work but including local hero Rory McIlroy and IBF superbantamweight champion Carl Frampton.

Great for the boy!

Dave Jones was on Talk Sport earlier today and he praised Josh's determination and commitment to succeed. And (to be fair to DJ) he even went as far as to say that although the club's coaching staff managed the change after it was clear he wouldn't make it as a keeper, it was Josh himself that did the business!

Goal Keeper to Goal Poacher!

He wasn't a bad player for us in the few chances he had. Well done him.

I was at the match. He ran himself into the ground and chased everything.

What an atmosphere for a small crowd

Steven Davis and Josh Magennis fire Northern Ireland to Euro 2016
Northern Ireland 3 - 1 GreeceEuro 2016 qualifying Windsor Park
Northern Ireland
3
Home team scorers
Steven Davis 35
Josh Magennis 49
Steven Davis 59

Greece
1
Away team scorers
Christos Aravidis 86
Steven Davis and Josh Magennis
Steven Davis, left, and Josh Magennis were the goalscorers on a famous night as Northern Ireland booked their place at their first tournament since the 1986 World Cup. Photograph: Andrew Paton/EPA
Julian Taylor at Windsor Park

Friday 9 October 2015 01.00 BST


There were French flags and chic berets. When the euphoria eventually settled and a sense of wonder wrapped itself around Windsor Park, there were places Michael O’Neill will remember all his life.

After being hoisted aloft by jubilant players he will recall the character his Northern Ireland squad have shown in Budapest, Bucharest and Athens, for instance. Moreover, at a still under-reconstruction home international venue, Belfast can be added to precious memories. France will now be, naturally, high on his list, too.

O’Neill becomes only the third manager in Northern Ireland’s history to steer his country to a major finals. And, following this magnificent 3-1 victory Euro 2016 will host an ecstatic country, their debut appearance in the competition.

“Now we can look forward to the tournament,” O’Neill said. “We’re not just going to go there and enjoy it. We’re going to go and try to make an impact. I genuinely believe, fitness and availability willing, we can go there with a real optimism.”

Peter Doherty in 1958 and Billy Bingham in 1982 and 1986, guided teams to World Cup finals, and O’Neill takes his place alongside those illustrious predecessors, after a campaign that saw an immense – if rather surprising – degree of warmth, zest and satisfaction. The emphatic message, Legends Are Made from Legends, in the makeshift tunnel before this showdown, bore down on players charged with intense responsibility. They delivered.

Northern Ireland will take flight to France with a squad characterised by maturity, discipline and sheer industry; all facets drilled by the meticulous O’Neill. The dreams of qualification flowed into wonderful reality for a fervent support, many of whom have waited 30 years for such a moment, as the province kept their nerve with two goals by their outstanding captain, Steven Davis, and another by the stand-in striker Josh Magennis. Kostas Aravidis scored late on for Greece.



Amid the excitement of what is, unquestionably, a magnificent achievement by any measure, O’Neill understands this elevation has been the culmination of over three years’ work. After a 2014 World Cup qualifying slump, in terms of results at least,he, along with, crucially, Irish FA chiefs, kept believing. While tension and drama has accompanied the Irish throughout Group F, a sense of destination for a squad, lacking in A-listers, always remained. Finally, Northern Ireland have their reward.

“I have dreamt about this,” said Magennis, the unlikely hero. “I have a true sense of happiness right now. People might say it’s cheesy but to score a goal to take your country to a major finals for the first time is unbelievable. Michael told me: ‘You don’t have to be a world beater, you just do what you can’.”

Tricky issues had to be confronted for this game, with O’Neill wrestling with selection; in particular, dealing with the absence of the suspended Kyle Lafferty, whose seven goals have also driven Northern Ireland to this achievement. Only Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller have scored more in the qualifiers. Magennis came in as a replacement, with Paddy McNair and Corry Evans standing in for Conor McLaughlin and Chris Baird respectively. The overall unit kept its focus against the ponderous Greeks, originally group favourites, but who have suffered a catastrophic campaign.

These occasions, virtually unprecedented for the Northern Irish, require leadership and fibre. Davis supplied both and the Southampton playmaker revelled in his role, cajoling and directing. Never the most prolific, his goals here were his sixth and seventh out of 77 internationals. He, along with Gareth McAuley and Baird, all of veteran status, deserve the upcoming journey more than most.



A drained but delighted O’Neill said: “We saw all the good things in Northern Ireland. The bond between crowd and team is really strong. It’s just an amazing feeling, what we have to look forward to.

“ I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved tonight, the highest point of my career, certainly, either as a player or a manager. But it’s for other people to write, I’m not big on that. I don’t have a memorabilia room in my house.

“ This is a special moment. I’m lucky my wife and kids were here because they’ve not been since the Norway game, my first match.”

The Greece manager, Kostas Tsanas, said: “We tried hard but it’s not always about statistics, it is about feeling. We tried very hard against a team ready to go the finals. I would like to congratulate Northern Ireland. They deserve to qualify as the players have great quality and spirit and their fans have been great throughout this campaign.”

Overall, this feels like it has been an eternity in the making. Nevertheless, witnessing a battle-hardened 35-year-old McAuley cavorting in celebration, it was a wonderful, grandiose cameo on a night when Northern Ireland, and their impressive coach, made a cherished French connection. O’Neill’s squad – fuelled with a surplus of spirit – travel to Helsinki on Friday morning for their final outing against Finland more than ready to have their time.