Feeney wishes he had backed his belief

Warren Feeney was convinced Northern Ireland would beat England – but wished he had placed a bet before the match.

Lawrie Sanchez’s side stunned world football with their 1-0 win in Belfast in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier and left England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson under severe pressure.

But Luton striker Feeney – who almost scored a late goal after coming on as a second-half substitute for Northern Ireland – spoke of the confidence that flooded through the squad in the hours prior to the game.

“I wasn’t surprised we won,” Feeney, 24, insisted. “We were 22/1 with some bookies before the game. That would definitely have been worth a tenner.

“Before the match, six of us walked into the middle of the pitch – and every one of us said we would win.

“There was Steve Davis, Ivan Sproule, Steve Robinson, Michael Ingham, Michael Duff and myself there. None of us thought we would lose the game.”

Feeney also revealed that Les Reed – a former FA technical director – had proved invaluable in planning the Ulstermen’s triumph over Eriksson’s team.

Sanchez had enlisted the help of Reed before the match, a decision Feeney believes was crucial to the outcome.

Feeney replaced James Quinn shortly after David Healy had put Northern Ireland ahead and admitted the England players had appeared irritable.

“They seemed agitated,” he admitted. “They were trying to force things and made quick substitutions.

“Before the game, Les Reed had told us about their weaknesses. He has worked with virtually all their players, and said we needed to get amongst them.

“We were determined not to let them play, because if you give players like David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard time they will destroy you.”

The defeat at Windsor Park made Eriksson’s assertion that England could match world champions Brazil appear ridiculous.

But despite his country’s victory, Feeney believes England will qualify comfortably for Germany 2006 – and thinks they could even test Carlos Alberto Parreira’s team.

England must beat Austria and Poland at home next month to be certain of automatic qualification for the finals.

Feeney added: “England could beat Brazil. They have world-class players, and you never know what will happen on a given day – as we proved.

“England will be down at the moment, but they will qualify. I am sure they will beat Austria and Poland and finish top of the group.”