It's just over 28 years since Ray Houghton 'stuck the ball in the English net' inspiring Christy Moore to write one of the great Irish football songs.
Euro 88 was Ireland's first major international tournament. It was a summer which sparked wide interest in the Irish football team.
Ray Houghton remembers that moment on June 12th, 1988 vividly.
Long ball down field and we kept the ball alive inside the 18-yard box. Eventually, it came to me. I wasn't renowned for my heading ability and I think that was proved by the TV cameras who went onto John Aldridge when the ball went in the net because they thought 'It couldn't have been Ray Houghton' because he never scores with his head.
To see it hit the back of the net; my first international goal; the first time Ireland had qualified for an international tournament; when you put it all in the mix, it was absolutely outstanding.
You can watch Houghton speak about his goal against England below.
Ray Houghton was sharing his #PowerOfGreen moment against England in ‘88 for SSE Airtricity. All customers who switch to SSE Airtricity will now receive the new official Ireland football jersey free, as well as 15% off their home energy. For more information on how to switch, please visit www.sseairtricity.com. SSE Airtricity is proud to support Irish football, as official energy partner to the Irish football team and sponsoring the SSE Airtricity League since 2010.
Picture credit: Ray McManus / SPORTSFILE
