As a reward for his fine form with Stevenage in the 2023-24 season, former Exeter City and Torquay United striker Jamie Reid has been named by Michael O'Neill in the latest Northern Ireland squad for their friendlies against Romania and Scotland.
Reid, now 29, was capped twice by the province at Under-21 level in 2013 - and he will be hoping to add a senior cap to his collection.
After starting his career at St James Park, Reid enjoyed the first truly prolific spell of his career once he joined the Gulls, his hometown club, in 2017. He memorably found the back of the net 33 times in the 2018-19 season, as United secured the National League South title - and he also won the division's player of the year award in the process.
Reid netted a further 21 goals in all competitions in the 2019-20 campaign, which was cut short due to the Covid 19 pandemic, before earning a move to the EFL with Mansfield Town in the summer of 2020.
Whilst at Field Mill, he found harder to come by, but a move to Stevenage in 2021 re-ignited his career, as his goals helped fire Boro to promotion from League Two in the 2022-23 season. Reid then continued his fine form into the current 2023-24 campaign, which has seen him find the back of the net 21 times in 38 appearances in all competitions to date.
It is often said that strikers who are prolific for Torquay United rarely are for anyone else. This has proved to be true for a whole range of forwards from Robin Stubbs to Rodney Jack to David Graham, but Reid has proved to be the exception to this rule.
Other players named in the squad include Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Conor Hazard, Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley and Middlesbrough centre back Paddy McNair.
