Northern Ireland, Billy Bingham and a life less ordinary

In a photo dripping with the kind of nostalgia The Fiver would gladly bathe in, Billy Bingham is hoisted aloft by fans after firing Luton to the FA Cup final in 1959. Photograph: PA

CHEERIO AND GOODBYE

Norn Iron went two goals down within 20 minutes against Kosovo yesterday, and, well, they weren’t going to turn that around, were they. This latest fiasco led to the 500-strong travelling Green and White Army chanting “cheerio” at manager Ian Baraclough, who has won just three of 19 competitive games in charge. “Let’s not be negative,” retorted Baraclough, who went on to make the claim that Paddy McNair, injured on the morning of the match, would have made some sort of difference, before adding gnomically: “I understand the fans’ frustration but there are ways to losing a game of football and that’s it.” No, we’re none the wiser either, and we’ve even held it up to the light and looked at it from various angles.