Northern Ireland: Young duo Tom Atcheson and Ruairi McConville at the heart of Nations League's meanest defence

At 21-years-old, Norwich City's McConville is the more senior of the pair.Having been given his debut off the bench at home to Belarus two years ago this week, among the former Brighton man's early international assignments was trying to keep a rampant Alexander Isak in check during a 5-1 defeat by Sweden.In the short time since he has looked an increasingly commanding figure, leading this Nations League group in clearances made with both head and boot."It would be unbelievable to keep that record for these last two games and go the whole of the campaign," he said of what is Northern Ireland's longest run without conceding a goal since 2017.McConville notes that the streak is a team effort and product of collective work-rate, rather than just the defensive three alone. "We're a team that works hard, a team that doesn't want to give anything up."We're confident in ourselves and we know that we're a good side."It is McConville who has taken on the Ballard role in the middle of the defence for the past three games, with Atcheson on the right and Oxford United's Ciaron Brown, himself superb through the campaign so far, playing from the left.On the developing understanding between an emerging unit, McConville added: "We're enjoying playing together."It's still early days together and we have to keep taking it game by game and doing what the gaffer tells us and the work on the training pitch."We don't have much time together when we're here [in international camp] so it's important to do all we can."After 16 caps, McConville is a relative veteran compared to Atcheson, who made his international bow in a friendly against Wales in March at a time when he had only four senior club starts to his name at Blackburn Rovers.The most recent of those had come under O'Neill, then in a short stint as caretaker manager at the Championship club. Clearly impressed by what he saw from the now 20-year-old at Ewood Park, Atcheson made his first Northern Ireland start against Guinea in June, a game in which he scored the winner with a fabulous flick before later being shown a red card.

Some 428 minutes into his international career, Atcheson is still to experience what it feels like to concede a goal.The England-born defender feels Ballard "is definitely a big miss" to the side, but believes the squad's understanding of O'Neill's desired system is an asset to those who have starred during the Sunderland man's latest absence. "I feel like everyone knows what they need to do, everyone knows their job, the details of the formation we play and system," he said."That's so key and I think that's why we're so solid defensively. "It's a team thing, we're set up right, we're very on it all the time and everyone gives their all."