By Joel Taggart BBC Sport NI

David Healy scored two in Northern Ireland's 3-1 victory

The first was David Healy's disappointment at scoring just two goals in the game and not completing a third hat-trick of the qualifying campaign.

Three and a half years ago before Lawrie Sanchez's first game againt Norway, we would have settled for a deflected free-kick off a low flying aircraft trying to land at George Best City Airport. How times have changed!

The other thing I noticed was the heightened level of expectancy among the Windsor Park faithful. It was as if anything other than a victory was not possible.

As for defeat, well it just was not going to happen. Long forgotten are the days of nervous evenings when minnows (remember Canada) proved more difficult obstacles to overcome than some of the so called 'Giants' of international football.

The current squad have written their names in the history books, the first squad in our international history to go six consecutive qualification matches for a major championship without suffering a defeat.

606: DEBATE Can Northern Ireland qualify?

The last time a Northern Ireland team went six competitive matches without losing, Gerry Armstrong, Billy Hamilton Pat Jennings and co were enjoying themselves in the Spanish sunshine at the World Cup finals.

If the current players are to be regarded in the same breath as those heroes of the past, they will ultimately have to reach the finals of a major tournament.

But surely they will never have a better chance of doing that with three wins from the remaining five games almost certainly enough to secure a place in Austria and Switzerland next summer.

Now I know four of those games are away from home, but there is a momentum, spirit and incredible determination within the squad and the importance of the next two fixtures cannot be overestimated.

I have no doubt that if maximum points can be achieved from the games in Latvia and Iceland then Northern Ireland will almost certainly qualify for Euro 2008.

The return of George McCartney, and the performance of Chris Baird in the heart of the back four were welcome bonuses for Nigel Worthington in his first game in charge.

It provides a number of selection posers for the forthcoming fixtures with the possibility of Aaron Hughes, Damien Johnson and Jonny Evans returning from injury.

For many years under various managers, finding enough players to make up a squad was a problem.