Trai Hume has admitted he was “gutted” to see Sunderland teammate Dan Ballard suffer another injury setback during Northern Ireland’s Nations League victory over Georgia.
Ballard was forced off in stoppage time after appearing to pull his hamstring while tracking back during a late Georgia counter-attack.
The Sunderland defender immediately grabbed the back of his thigh and was unable to continue as Northern Ireland held on for a dramatic 1-0 victory in Tbilisi.
The injury overshadowed an otherwise memorable night for Michael O’Neill’s side, who secured a valuable away win against Georgia.
It was particularly frustrating for Ballard, who was making his first Northern Ireland appearance since November.
The 27-year-old missed Northern Ireland’s March fixtures through suspension before sitting out the June international window following ankle surgery.
O’Neill admitted after the match that it was too early to determine the severity of Ballard’s latest problem, although the manner in which the defender pulled up immediately raised concerns.
“You saw how he pulled up,” the Northern Ireland boss said.
Hume, who captained his country on the night, was quick to acknowledge the significance of the setback for both club and country.
“He’s always a big miss,” Northern Ireland captain Hume said. “I’m gutted for him to be honest. He can’t catch a break at the minute.
“I think whenever he comes away he’s an important player for us and especially at Sunderland he’s a big, big character in the changing room and he’s so important for us.
“Seeing injuries like that is obviously not good and I’m just sad for him. Hopefully it’s not as bad as we think and I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Ballard’s latest injury comes at an unfortunate time for both Northern Ireland and Sunderland, with the centre-back having only just returned to international action.
The immediate focus will now be on the assessment of the injury and whether he can avoid another lengthy spell on the sidelines.
For Northern Ireland, however, the night ultimately delivered a major positive.
Away victories have not always been easy to come by for O’Neill’s developing squad, but they showed resilience and ambition to claim all three points on Georgian soil.
Pierce Charles played a key role by saving Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s 65th-minute penalty before Shea Charles produced the decisive moment deep into stoppage time.
Hume believes the performance demonstrated an important shift in mentality for a young Northern Ireland team still developing under O’Neill.
“It’s probably one of the parts of our game that we need to improve on,” Hume said of playing away from Belfast. “We showed both sides where we can dominate the ball, create chances and dig in when we have to when the other team’s on top.
“For a young team, that’s really important and we showed that in abundance.
“Sometimes (playing away) can be a bit intimidating. Sometimes you maybe go away and you’re trying to sit in and keep what you’ve got.
“I think here we’ve come away and we tried to win the game. We didn’t sit in and we weren’t happy to come away with a point. We were trying to win from the first minute to the last and thankfully we did.”
Northern Ireland’s willingness to keep pushing for a winner ultimately paid off, with Charles finding the breakthrough when a draw appeared increasingly likely.
The victory will provide confidence to a side looking to make progress, but attention will now turn to Ballard’s fitness.
Hume added: “I think we just need a little bit of luck, and we need a little bit more of forgetting about the past and (focusing on) how we need to move forward. I do think as the season goes and goes and goes, we will get better and better.”
For Sunderland, the hope will be that Ballard’s latest setback proves less serious than feared. For Northern Ireland, meanwhile, the win offers another encouraging sign of a team willing to take risks and fight for results on the road.
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