By Stuart McKinley BBC Sport at Windsor Park

David Healy salutes the crowd after his strike ends his country's wait

Northern Ireland fans have a sense of humour, which is just as well.

Over the last two years they have travelled the length and breadth of Europe - Ukraine to Spain, Greece to Armenia in search of "the goal".

Sometime during the first-half in Donetsk, Ukraine, back in September 2003 after 10 previous games without a goal, the total number of scoreless minutes reached 1,000.

Cue a fantastic piece of Irish wit and a rip off of an old Proclaimers number.

"I would wait 500 minutes and I would wait 500 more, just to be the man who waits a thousand minutes to see our wee country score," sang those who had made the long trip from Northern Ireland.

True comedy value, and there was more to come.

The drought was finally ended 11 minutes into the second-half of the 4-1 defeat by Norway, but not before more humour ahead of half-time break.

Match report: Northern Ireland 1-4 Norway

Michael Hughes, one of the favourites to end the barren run, went close with a free-kick that brought an "Ooooooohhh!" from the home fans.

That was quickly followed by: "A goal - we nearly scored a goal, we nearly scored a goal."

Before the game, word was that Northern Ireland would enter the record books as the team with the longest goal drought in international football ever if they didn't score within the first 30 minutes.

They had already overtaken Liechtenstein to claim the European record two games previously.

The Proclaimers provided inspiration for the long-suffering Northern Ireland fans

When the half hour mark passed they chanted: "Championies, Championies!" in victory fashion as if they were pleased to be world leaders in one sense.

They did not have to wait too much longer - just 26 minutes in fact - for "the goal".

The fact that Norway already led 3-0 when David Healy's head sent the ball into the net did not bother the patient band of loyal followers who have supported Northern Ireland through thin and thinner.

"We're gonna win 4-3," was the terrace shout, but a Manchester City-esque comeback was never really on the cards.

A friendly game, 3-0 down, no chance of winning the game and giving new manager Lawrie Sanchez a winning start, who cared?

GOAL!!

Celebrations not seen inside Windsor Park on international night for a long time ensued.

Healy happy to end drought

Two years and five days, thirteen-and-a-half games and 1,298 minutes without a goal were finally brought to an end.

On the pitch the players hugged, in the stands the fans danced with smiles beaming, substitutes on the bench punched the air as if they had just qualified for the World Cup. What joy!

"We've scored and we know we have," was the next rib tickler from the Kop Stand.

Then after waiting so long for one goal from a Northern Ireland player two came within a minute, this time though Gillespie inadvertently found the net at the wrong end.

Gerry Armstrong played in Northern Ireland's golden days in the early 1980s

The fans hardly noticed though, most were still in celebration mode after Healy's strike and were for the half hour or so that was left of the match.

The defensive errors that cost Northern Ireland at the back did not even come into the equation. It was Healy's night more so than Sanchez's in the end.

On the bench alongside Sanchez stood his number two Gerry Armstrong, the man who had scored the previously most memorable goal in Northern Ireland football history.

Armstrong's strike to give Billy Bingham's side a 1-0 win over Spain in 1982 has been shown countless times over the last 22 years.

It is Northern Ireland's equivalent to England winning the World Cup in 1966, only it does not get mentioned anywhere near as often.

The only thing that had been mentioned as often was the Irish goal drought, but now they only sing about it.