SOCCER:NORTHERN IRELAND manager Nigel Worthington accepts Italy are likely to run away with Group C but is content to be one of the sides vying for second place.

Cesare Prandelli’s side did not have things their own way in the opening stages of Euro 2012 qualification, having to come from behind to beat Estonia and then drawing 0-0 with Worthington’s men at Windsor Park. But with 13 points from five matches they are now six points clear at the summit.

“Italy are gone,” admitted Worthington, whose side host second-placed Slovenia tonight. “They are top and there are three or four of us vying for second. I said at the start of the campaign, the chasing pack will take points off each other and that has been the case so far.”

While remaining upbeat, Worthington called on fans to put his side’s qualification efforts in perspective. Northern Ireland have never yet won a place at the finals of the European Championship and the Worthington knows that is no coincidence.

“I think regardless of the group of players at the outset of every competition everyone, to a man, wants to do well and would love to qualify,” he said. “We also have to be respectful of where we are, as the song goes, We’re not Brazil, we’re Northern Ireland.

“Expectations have to be managed in the proper manner and as long as our players always give 100 per cent commitment and play with pride in the green shirt I can’t ask for more than that.”

The hosts have been dealt a blow with the news that first-choice frontman Kyle Lafferty is out with a knee injury, while record-scorer David Healy sits out after being booked in the 2-1 defeat in Serbia on Friday.

That means Oldham forward Warren Feeney, whose fifth and last international goal came against Slovenia in April 2009, is charged with leading the line tomorrow.

Worthington said: “He is what he is, a fantastic lad, who plays with a smile on his face and is full of energy. He is exactly the kind of player we need tomorrow night.

“We need that kind of player to get us off at a good tempo, lift the crowd and go from there.”

Friday’s defeat was Northern Ireland’s first in four Euro 2012 qualifiers and they must get back on track with victory over Slovenia at Windsor Park to keep their Group C hopes alive.

Central defender Jonny Evans, for one, is highly motivated to do just that. With his club, Manchester United, still challenging for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, the 22-year-old claims they would have to take all three trophies to top taking Northern Ireland back on to the world stage.

“I think qualifying for a major tournament with Northern Ireland would sort of eclipse anything I could achieve with Manchester United, unless it was something like the treble, really cleaning up,” said Evans.

“Definitely, it’s a harder task to qualify. I think it’s harder to win the Premier League or the Champions League than it is to qualify for a major tournament with, say England.

“But I do believe it’s harder for us to qualify for a big tournament than it would be for Manchester United to win the Champions League or the Premier League.

“Saying that, I don’t think the lads come here thinking ‘we’ll just turn up’, just look at how hard we work on the pitch.”

Evans and his team-mates know plenty about Slovenia, having also been matched with them in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

A rivalry has built up between the sides after the Slovenians celebrated winning the first of the clashes between the teams in 2008 in a fashion that did not go down well with Northern Ireland.

Since then Northern Ireland have won both of the matches between the sides, with Evans’ brother Corry scoring the only goal in Maribor the last time out.

Now Evans is hoping he can help rub salt into the Slovenian wounds once again. “When they won the first game at home they were banging on our changing room doors and stuff, it was kind of a weird thing to do,” he said.

“I don’t know why they were banging on the doors but it upset a few of the lads. So when we played them next we got a bit of our own back and definitely a few things were being said on the pitch.

“Hopefully we can go bang on their door again tomorrow.”