Northern Ireland’s first nine points in the UEFA Nations League have been accumulated over a total of 17 games.
Completing the stalemate against Georgia on Monday night, Michael O’Neill’s side earned eight in just 11 days.
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It says a lot about the growing mentality around this young side that, even after what was arguably the best ever Nations League window, the fans left Windsor Park frustrated that there wasn’t more.
Isaac Price saved a penalty in the 83rd minute to naturally miss the most glaring opportunity to grab all three points for the second consecutive goal in Belfast after Hungary were also left with a point last week.
There were other good chances, though, with Paddy Kelly and Josh Magennis both unable to capitalize on promising positions, with Ruairi McConville hitting the bar in a chance that led to a penalty.
Magennis himself mixed the general mood at the final whistle when he told BBC Sport NI that he was “disappointed in the air” to take the only point from the game.
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When the dust settles, however, the entire shutdown can only be considered a success.
Two weeks ago, Northern Ireland had yet to win a game in the second tier of the Nations League and had never picked up all three points on their travels at any level of the competition.
Back to back victories in Georgia and against Ukraine in Slovakia, both felt like a huge step forward for a side whose average age was as low as 22 in the last fixture they won 3-0.
On top of that, they have kept four consecutive clean sheets as the only team in the competition yet to concede a goal, all the more impressive considering Conor Bradley remains on the sidelines and Daniel Ballard was only fit to feature in the first game.
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“The camp was tough, a lot different to what we’ve experienced before, and I thought we did really well,” said Fulham midfielder Shea Charles, who, along with Trai Hume, showed his Premier League pedigree through the window.
“We won two games, two draws at home, no goals conceded, not many complaints. I think we were really good.”
‘One of the nicest windows I’ve had’
With this new window offering another four-game window for managers across Europe to occupy, myriad approaches have emerged.
Germany boss Jurgen Klopp named almost two separate squads for their two matches, while Ukraine made 10 changes between the first two games and then made nine for the defeat of Northern Ireland.
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Speaking before the start of the campaign about how a tight schedule would be more difficult for smaller nations, O’Neill kept the changes to a minimum.
He started only 15 different players in four games with two changes, which the injury to Ballard and the absence of Ethan Galbraith against Ukraine ordered the boys to participate.
Despite being a relatively small tank to begin with, this still feels like a window into the depths of Northern Ireland and passed with flying colors.
O’Neill was without the talismanic Bradley and faithful Ali McCann in the coming window, and Ballard lost to a hamstring injury after the first game in Tbilisi.
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Young centre-backs McConville, 21, and Tom Atcheson, 20, looked ready to play at this level, while Ciaron Brown started all four games and drew the plaudits many times he commanded the squad last season.
Kieran Morrison, Terry Devlin and Brodie Spencer all impressed when given the chance against Ukraine.
O’Neill’s praise for his team is across the board.
“For me, one of the most enjoyable windows I’ve had as an international manager is because of the players,” said O’Neill.
“The way they’ve applied themselves, how desperate they are to do well, that’s a real positive.
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“It’s a fantastic group of players and I think a lot of them will play international football for a long time.”
‘This team shows all the best sides of Northern Ireland’
Despite dropping two points against Georgia, the team remains top of Group B2 ahead of next month’s concluding fixtures at home to Ukraine and Hungary.
Having already secured their League B status at the very least, back-to-back Nations League promotions and a second-seeded draw at Euro 2028 in December remain on the table.
In a broader sense, the past 11 days have served to increase morale around the team’s direction of travel.
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“Really, the sky’s the limit,” Magennis said.
“I think maybe they’ve had four tournaments to maybe have a crack. The team is in a fantastic place.”
If O’Neill was slightly more nervous, he echoed the general sentiment.
“I know what the potential of this team is, I’m not always going to share it with you guys if I’m honest,” concluded the manager.
“For me, the team is growing and growing and progressing all the time. It’s good that the fans are excited, that’s what we want. We want them to look at the horse and be proud.
“I know these boys in two or three years, I’ve seen them grow. I see them with each other, which is really important, and this team shows the best sides of Northern Ireland.”