Northern Ireland: New boss Tanya Oxtoby 'knows what it takes to win', says Rachel Furness

Rachel Furness against the Republic of Ireland during a Women's World Cup Qualifier in 2017.

Northern Ireland's Rachel Furness has stressed the importance of adopting Tanya Oxtoby's "winning mentality" ahead of Saturday's Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland.

Oxtoby will take charge of NI for the first time this weekend for the game at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Furness is determined that the squad endeavour to reach the high standards set by the new manager.

"She [Oxtoby] knows what it takes to win", said the Bristol City midfielder.

"Tanya has only been in a few days but the details, the communication and I guess the standards that she's wanting from day one, is very high.

"She's worked with one of the best managers in the women's game, if not the best manager in the women's game.

"She's a winner, she's come from a winning environment, so I'm excited for that to be implemented in our environment and watch us grow as a nation."

Tanya Oxtoby has worked with international stars such as Lauren James and Sam Kerr during her time as assistant manager at Chelsea.

Oxtoby signed a four-year contract with Northern Ireland last month and has been tasked with guiding the country to major tournaments, developing youth and establishing her winning mentality.

The Australian enjoyed a challenging spell as manager of WSL side Bristol City before working alongside Emma Hayes as assistant manager at Chelsea.

During her time with the west-London club, the 41-year old helped the Blues to win the WSL and FA Cup two years in a row.

"I think the long-term goal is we've got to try and qualify for major tournaments," added Furness, who has earned 92 caps for Northern Ireland.

"Tanya hasn't come in to just make us better, we want to continue to qualify for major tournaments.

"From what I see in the first few days I think she has got a clear idea of what she wants from us as a squad, so now it's a case of whether we can step up to those standards."

Furness returned to the Northern Ireland squad for April's friendly with Wales after taking a sabbatical from the international arena in August 2022 for "personal reasons".

"I'm very happy to be involved now, I know in the future I won't be because I'm at the back end of my career, but I want to help as much as I can on and off the pitch to help Tanya lay the foundations for the next generation coming through."

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Saturday's Nations League fixture against the Republic of Ireland marks a historic day for those involved.

The Republic women's side will be playing at the Aviva Stadium for the very first time and fittingly against their close rivals.

Oxtoby faces a challenging Northern Ireland managerial debut but Furness believes a derby is what her side needs to kick-start life under the new manager.

"We're up against a side that has just come back from a World Cup and they were very successful," she continued.

"We know how good they are, we respect that, but we are obviously starting a new journey and starting a new process with the new manager, so we are really excited to see how we can try and implement that.

"It's against our rivals, it's going to be competitive, it's going to be feisty, it's a derby, it's exciting."