Dale Taylor of Nottingham Forest was hailed for his contribution to Northern Ireland’s 3-0 victory over San Marino at Windsor Park. The youthful talisman was starting for his nation in a competitive match for the first time.
The international minnows were defeated easily by the Green and White Army. Even if his team won’t be making the tournament next summer, Michael O’Neill will want them to finish strong.
John O’Neill lavished praise on Taylor’s play throughout yesterday night’s game. The player, who is now on loan with League One’s Wycombe, will have relished this first international debut.
Taylor is praised after the victory for Northern Ireland
Taylor and his family will have been pleased with this accomplishment. The brilliant young Forest player also nearly had the ideal evening when he had a goal disallowed.
The striker greatly impressed O’Neill. Taylor had a wonderful game, but Michael will need to take into consideration that the opposition will be stronger and better on Tuesday, he said to BBC Sport during the game. Taylor performed quite well for his debut, though.
The 19-year-old will now look to accumulate additional caps as his career develops. Tuesday’s match between Northern Ireland and Slovenia will be interesting to watch to see if Taylor holds his spot.
Taylor is set for success at Forest.
The promising forward was acquired by the Reds from Linfield, and he rose through the Forest junior ranks. He actually made the senior ranks bench during the promotion-winning campaign in 2021/22.
He had an impact when on loan at Burton Albion in the second half of the previous season. Now that he has a job with Wycombe, he is succeeding in League One.
Steve Cooper thinks highly of Taylor as a potential future star. As a result, it does appear like just a matter of time will pass before he has the opportunity to work at Forest, and it will be extremely intriguing to observe how he progresses.
