Baggies star Brunt spurred on by Euro 2016 disappointment

Almost 12 months on, West Bromwich Albion star Chris Brunt admits he is still using the pain of missing out on Northern Ireland’s Euro 2016 adventure as motivation.

Northern Ireland qualified for their first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup last summer and reached the last-16 before going down 1-0 to Wales.

As a man with more than 50 caps for his country accumulated during a career spanning 13 years, Brunt would have expected to be involved but after tearing a cruciate ligament playing for West Brom the previous February, he was only in France as a spectator.

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The 32-year-old is now trying to help Michael O’Neill’s men reach the 2018 World Cup – they are currently second in Group C ahead of Saturday’s clash with Azerbaijan – and is desperate to heal his Euro 2016 pain.

“Not getting to play in the summer was disappointing,” said Brunt. “It’s part and parcel of football and there’s not much you can do about it.

“I missed the first couple of games of this World Cup campaign and saw that the boys were doing well, and since then, we have continued to give ourselves a good chance of making the play-offs.

“It will take a miracle to stop Germany winning the group, but we have a realistic chance of a play-off spot and it would be great to qualify for a World Cup.

“It will be tough and I think the next couple of games will go a long way to determining that.”