Czech Republic 3 Northern Ireland 1. The date — June 6, 2001. The place — Teplice, 90 miles from the Czech capital, in a World Cup qualifier which will always be labelled The Prague Five match.

Hours after the final whistle five Northern Ireland players were detained by police following an incident in a Prague city centre night club.

All charges were eventually dropped and no criminal record recorded against them in the Czech Republic.

How tragic this unfortunate saga clouded what had been one of Northern Ireland’s most impressive away performances for years. Fortune never smiled on Sammy McIlroy during his managerial reign and it didn’t that night either.

A merited 1-1 draw appeared on the cards, just the uplift needed — until three minutes from the finish when the Czechs, then one of the most accomplished teams in Europe, scored twice with goals by Pavel Kuka, during a momentary lack of concentration, and Milan Baros.

McIlroy — nobody was more proud to play or manage his country — stood forlorn. He was without 10 regulars, had asked his young players to give 100% commitment. They responded magnificently. Was success, however, never going to come his way? Would the run of misfortune ever end? He had met adversity all along the route during his period in charge.

“I simply couldn’t believe it,” said Sammy, now manager of Morecambe.

“It was sickening. Deflation gripped me. We should have come away with a draw. Those last three minutes when they scored twice haunted me for years. Remember this was a Czech team packed with top quality players and others on the bench who would have graced any national squad.”

McIlroy, under pressure, wanted a win or a draw to raise morale. Players, their shirts perspiration-saturated and with every sinew strained, had battled courageously, all emerging with credit marks particularly Danny Griffin who had “smothered” Pavel Nedved.

Midfielders Damien Johnson and Philip Mulryne were immense; goalkeeper Maik Taylor, currently still first choice, produced world-class saves from Patrick Berger, Karel Poborsky and Jan Koller, who didn’t relish the tackling of Mark Williams, and, in a rage at being substituted, kicked his shirt away having afterwards to apologise to the manager. Yes, a night for heroes including the substitutes — James Quinn, Glenn Ferguson and Peter Kennedy.

The Czechs had a Berger goal disallowed, Poborsky struck the post, but Kuka’s 39th minute goal, which appeared offside, gave them the lead. The start of a rout? Not at all. Northern Ireland’s self-belief was boosted when Mulryne, a promising midfielder, equalised with a header from David Healy’s cross on the break.

At that moment I thought here was the turning point in the Sammy McIlroy managerial saga when goals and victories were scarce. Alas, fate struck yet again with those two late goals but the much-needed improved performance was lost the next day amidst the newspaper headlines and the television coverage of the Prague Five.

I envisaged that would happen when I went down for an early breakfast in the team hotel and saw the police in conversation with Irish FA general secretary David Bowen, who revealed the situation and that the players must remain in the breakfast room until interviewed.

The Prague Five story was about to break and push the match into the background.

A pity, for as my colleague Steven Beacom stressed in his Telegraph report: “This was more like the Northern Ireland we know and love. They played for the shirt. They deserved the highest of praise for almost securing the most unlikely of results.”

Czech Republic 3 Northern Ireland 1: Teplice June 6, 2001.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Srnicek (Brescia), Repka (Fiorentina) Poborsky (Lazio; sub Lovenc (Kaiserslautern) 82), Votava (1860 Munich), Galasek (Ajax), Nedved (Lazio), Berger (Liverpool), Rosicky (Borussia Dortmund), Kuka (Slavia Prague), Koller (Borussia Dortmund; sub Baros (Banik Ostrava) 64).

NORTHERN IRELAND: Taylor (Fulham), Nolan (Bradford City), Murdock (Preston), Williams (Wimbledon), A Hughes (Newcastle United), Griffin (Dundee United), Healy (Preston), Johnson (Blackburn Rovers, sub Ferguson (Linfield) 76), Mulryne (Norwich City; sub P Kennedy (Watford) 82), M Hughes (Wimbledon, capt), Elliott (Motherwell; sub Quinn (West Bromwich Albion) 65).

Referee: L Sundrel (Sweden).

Goalscorers: Czech Republic – Kuka (39, 87),Baros (89).

Northern Ireland – Mulryne (45).

Attendance: 15,261.