Wortherington open to permanent job

Nigel Worthington has indicated he would be interested in becoming Northern Ireland’s manager on a permanent basis after their hopes of reaching Euro 2008 were dashed at the final hurdle.

A goal from Xavi gave Spain a narrow 1-0 victory in Las Palmas, ending Worthington’s hopes anyway, while Sweden won to book their place with the Spanish.

The match also effectively ended Worthington’s tenure as manager after he succeeded Lawrie Sanchez halfway through the campaign.

Worthington looks set to meet officials from the Irish Football Association following the World Cup draw on Sunday.

Worthington said: “It is not a case of walking away, it is a case of things being right for Nigel Worthington and everyone involved. I have enjoyed the experience but it remains to be seen what happens.

“I think the players and I have bonded and been pleased to be in each other’s company.

“You can see that on the pitch which is the important thing.”

The Province were left cursing their luck as Xavi’s goal took a deflection off defender Stephen Craigan.

It left goalkeeper Maik Taylor wrong-footed and after that they were left facing an uphill task.

Worthington said: “Stephen’s tried to get his head on the ball and it’s gone the other way.

“It was a cruel blow but that’s part and parcel of the game.

“But no matter which way you look at it, it was a gutsy performance. We didn’t have a lot of possession but our character was magnificent.

“I’m very proud of the team – to lose 1-0 against a side like Spain is no disgrace.

“They know they’ve been in a fight tonight. We can hold our heads up high. The team have grown together and I’ve been thrilled with the campaign.”

Northern Ireland were backed by over 4,000 fans and Worthington added: “We have taken huge numbers to away games and that just shows the progress we have made and the fans were magnificent again tonight and gave us great backing.”