Shea Charles was one of the standout performers as Northern Ireland went to the top of their Nations League group with a 5-0 thrashing of Bulgaria at Windsor Park this evening.
While Isaac Price of Standard Liege will take the biggest headlines with his hat-trick, the loanee Wednesday midfielder caught the eye for different reasons, running Price close for man-of-the-match with another outstanding performance and he received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was subbed five minutes from time.
Brother Pierce, who saw a first-half Bulgaria penalty come back off the crossbar, was hardly called into action in terms of having to make saves but it was his control and distribution with the ball at his feet that had the Northern Ireland fans smiling.
His highlight came just after the hour, producing a 60-yard pass straight to the feet of Conor Bradley. Any midfielder would have been proud of the ball and that set up Dion Charles for what looked like a fourth goal at that stage, only for Bradley to be ruled just offside by VAR.
Not to be outdone, Shea then won the ball in typical fashion with 10 minutes left, providing the opportunity for Price to complete his treble.
The victory takes Northern Ireland to the top of their group with two matches to play on a night to remember for the supporters … and for the Charles brothers.
Meanwhile, our loanee keeper James Beadle had a quiet evening in goal for the England under-21s as they romped to a 7-0 win over Azerbaijan in their Euros qualifier at Ashton Gate this evening.
The visitors managed just one effort on target, saved by Beadle, and the Young Lions finish top of Group F and can look forward to a place in next summer’s finals in Slovakia.