It is virtually a 12 months to the day since Northern Eire had been crushed 6-1 at Windsor Park by the Republic of Eire to finish their inaugural Nations League marketing campaign.
At that stage there have been extra questions than solutions about what path the staff had been heading beneath Tanya Oxtoby, who had taken over in August 2023.
They’d proven indicators in that Nations League marketing campaign of promise, albeit in suits and begins for almost all fairly than stringing collectively a 90-minute efficiency.
However now, a 12 months on, there isn’t any doubt NI are a staff on the rise, even when they fell on the ultimate hurdle of reaching back-to-back European Championships after a 7-0 mixture play-off ultimate defeat by Norway.
They finish 2024 with a file of performed 12, received 5, drawn three and misplaced 4, displaying they might break down cussed defences residence and away and be scientific with their possibilities.
There are even caveats for the 4 defeats; Portugal residence and away and Norway residence and away, two sides ranked significantly greater than NI within the Fifa rankings.
And boss Oxtoby was completely happy to mirror on the progress after a full 12 months of fixtures.
“I’ve stated 120 instances we’re on a journey and each time we play and problem ourselves, our women get higher,” she informed BBC Sport NI.
“We’re happy with the place we began to the place we are actually, and we need to proceed on that journey.”
