Jackie Burns: NI return after 507-day gap 'unbelievable feeling' for goalkeeper
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Jackie Burns kept a clean sheet on her Northern Ireland return against Malta on Friday
Goalkeeper Jackie Burns says it was "unbelievable" to make her Northern Ireland return after a 507-day gap.
Burns' previous cap came against Italy in December 2022 after injuring her Achilles in April 2023.
She started and kept a clean sheet in Northern Ireland's goalless draw with Malta in their opening Euro 2025 qualifier on Friday.
"It took a while to sink in that it actually was happening," the Reading goalkeeper said.
"To make my return especially at home, it's next level. It's unbelievable so I'm really happy."
Burns played an integral role as Northern Ireland qualified for the Euro 2022 finals and had established herself as the team's first-choice goalkeeper.
However, the 27-year-old had yet to play under new manager Oxtoby, who was appointed in August, after injuring her Achilles in training in April.
That led to a prolonged spell on the sidelines, and she made her club return against Blackburn Rovers on 31 March, which was swiftly followed by an international recall and return to the starting team.
After keeping in touch with Oxtoby, Burns had trained with the NI squad in the latter stages of her recovery ahead of February's play-off win over Montenegro. She says spending that time with the Australian helped her make a smooth transition back into the international squad.
"It just made it easier coming into this camp because it made it easier to know what to expect from her. Knowing the training, knowing what the routine or what meetings would be like.
"Having that stepping stone just made it more relaxing - both mentally and physically - to make the smooth transition back into it.
"It's the same as everyone who goes through an injury. You want to be there and you want to be able to impact the squad in any way. I'm only new in [under Oxtoby] and I'm still learning from everyone else."
'We can see the progress'
Northern Ireland were frustrated by the Malta, ranked 87th in the world, at Windsor Park but for Burns it was an important milestone as she kept he visitors at bay on her return.
Oxtoby's side will look to bounce back against Bosnia-Herzegovina in their second qualifier on Tuesday.
"Obviously, with every goalkeeper, you want to keep a clean sheet. So to get one is always important.
"There was still positives to take from the game. We were on top for most of it. It's just unfortunate we couldn't get the ball in the net. We will learn a lot from it and go into Bosnia more prepared."
In her first full camp under Oxtoby, Burns added she is able to see the progress in the team compared to when she was last involved in the international set-up at the tail end of 2022.
"We're trusting the process of what she wants us to achieve. Hopefully we'll learn from what happened in that game and take that into Bosnia.
"We can see it a lot. I think a lot more players are a lot more comfortable on the ball and a lot more confident going forward. In the past maybe it was a bit more pessimistic with our approach.
"I think now we focus a lot more on ourselves, rather than on what the opposition do. Yes, you'll do a bit of work on them but we are focusing on what we have as a squad and how we can exploit that in terms of getting the result."