McIlroy wants Johnson to pledge for the North

Northern Ireland manager Sammy McIlroy is aiming to persuade Nottingham Forest striker David Johnson to come on board.

Johnson was born in Jamaica but would qualify for the province because he holds a British passport.

He scored 29 goals for Forest last season as they reached the Nationwide Division One play-offs.

The 27-year-old frontman has already been contacted about the possibility of him playing for Northern Ireland.

“He has not turned us down yet so I am taking that as a positive sign,” McIlroy told BBC Online.

“David has a knee injury at the moment but when pre-season training starts I plan to have a chat with him.

“David is a player I would like in my squad but it will be his call whether he plays for us or not.”

Johnson pledged his future to Scotland in October 1999 ahead of the Euro 2000 play-off against England.

However, he was not named in the squad after it was discovered he was ineligible under a ruling agreed by the Home Nations where players were not allowed to face British opposition.

Earlier that season he had trained with Wales but felt his international prospects would be brighter with Scotland.

Now McIlroy has come calling in a bid to end a scoring famine. Northern Ireland go into the Euro 2004 qualifier against Spain on Wednesday at Windsor Park without a goal in 882 minutes following the 2-0 defeat by Italy in a friendly last week.