Mick McDermott: The Northern Irishman Helping Ghana Chase World Cup glory

Dubai: The World Cup has always been a stage for football's greatest stories, and few are more remarkable than that of Mick McDermott, whose journey has come full circle as part of Ghana's coaching staff.

McDermott has once again joined forces with Carlos Queiroz, serving as the assistant coach for Ghana's Black Stars.

The tournament marks the second World Cup of his coaching career, having previously worked alongside Queiroz during Iran's 2018 campaign. However, this year's competition carries extra significance for the former Glentoran manager.

With Ghana based in Rhode Island, the 52-year-old finds himself back in a place filled with cherished memories, a location that played a key role in sparking his passion for football and helping shape the journey that has brought him to the world's biggest stage.

“It’s a 30-year full circle moment,” said McDermott.

“I was at the university of Rhode Island in 1992-1996, played football here for a number of years then travelled the world coaching and now to be back as assistant coach for Ghana just by chance is incredible.

“I met my wife here and got married here, so there is so many good memories.”

Ghana's World Cup campaign got off to the perfect start with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama, a result that provided an immediate lift to confidence within the camp.

McDermott admitted the win was a huge morale boost for the Black Stars, easing some of the pressure that comes with a major tournament and reinforcing the belief that the squad can compete with the world's best.

With three points already on the board, Ghana's players headed into the remainder of the group stage with renewed confidence and momentum.

“We were meant to play a final friendly game before the Panama game, but it got cancelled, which meant out first World Cup match was kind of like our final friendly.

“That maybe showed in the first minutes but to show the resilience we did and to get the goal late in injury time is always a brilliant way to win a match.”

The challenge now steps up a level as Ghana prepare to face England at Boston Stadium.

The Three Lions also made a winning start to their World Cup campaign, defeating Croatia 4-2 in an entertaining opener, setting up a crucial Group L showdown.

For McDermott, a proud Northern Irishman, the fixture carries extra significance, with the former Glentoran boss admitting he is relishing the opportunity to help Ghana beat England.

“I think I’d be telling lies if I said no,” said McDermott when asked if the game against England meant a little more to him.

“In terms of the preparation of the game, everything stays the same, the attention to detail will be exactly the same but it’s going to be a nice occasion in Boston Stadium and I’m sure they’ll be a load of Irish fans cheering on Ghana.”

While much of the spotlight falls on Ghana's star names, including Manchester City forward Antonie Semenyo, McDermott was quick to stress that the Black Stars' strength lies in the collective rather than any one individual.

Although he praised Semenyo's quality and importance to the team, the Northern Irish coach emphasised his belief in the entire squad, highlighting the depth, togetherness and work ethic that have helped Ghana make a positive start to their World Cup campaign.

“Antonie is obviously a big player for us and he has exceptional quality which will help us throughout the tournament,” he said.

“But as a collective we have a strong team, no individual is more important than that and Antonie knows that so I’m confident in what we can do at the tournament.”