Chris Brunt hopes for a Windsor wonder in Euro 2016 qualifier

Chris Brunt hopes Sunday's crucial Euro 2016 qualifier against Finland can be the first in a series of Windsor wonders for Northern Ireland.

The West Brom midfielder was one of a handful of senior men who missed Wednesday’s friendly defeat against Scotland but is set to return to the side with vital points at stake this weekend.

Northern Ireland are well set after four games in Group F, with nine points from a possible 12, and four of their remaining six matches on home turf.

It all adds up to a promising equation for Michael O’Neill’s men as they eye their first-ever European Championship appearance, but Belfast has not always been a happy hunting ground of late.

O’Neill’s first campaign involved just one win from five home fixtures, a run that included disappointing draws against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

Build momentum

They had a straightforward assignment against the Faroe Islands in October, and now Brunt wants to build momentum against the Finns.

“Our home form wasn’t great in the last campaign,” Brunt admitted.

“In the last few years, those games were the ones that have tended to let us down, so it was nice to get a positive result in October. Hopefully we can take that on and carry it on in our remaining home games.

“We have four home games left in the campaign and if we get as many points out of those as possible, we’ll have a great chance of qualifying. Those will determine what happens to us in the rest of the group.”