Thursday 29 December 2016 12:32, UK
Michael O'Neill toasted a "fantastic" 2016 which saw his Northern Ireland side reach the knockout stages in their first-ever European Championship.
After topping their Euro 2016 qualifying group, Northern Ireland made the last 16 in France, thanks largely to a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Lyon.
However, their run came to an end when Gareth McAuley's own-goal handed Wales a 1-0 victory - with Chris Coleman's side going on to make the semi-finals.
Having had a world ranking as low as 129th in 2012, O'Neill reflected on a terrific year which saw them place a record-high 25th back in June.
"It was a fantastic year for us and everything we could have asked for," O'Neill told Sky Sports. "It will live long in the memory for me and for a lot of Northern Ireland fans as well.
"The whole build-up was fantastic for the players, the recognition they had and what it meant to everyone around the country.
"The atmosphere while it was going on is something everyone will cherish and even now, when I'm back in Belfast, people still come up and thank you for the best summer they've ever had."
Northern Ireland finished third in their Euros group, with victory over Ukraine coming between 1-0 losses to both Poland and Germany.
However, like eventual champions Portugal, O'Neill's men benefited from the new format which saw the four best third-placed teams also reach the knockout stages.
And with a quarter-final spot in their sights, O'Neill said not progressing further was their only real disappointment of the year.
"There are regrets, having lost the first game to come and win the second," O'Neill added. "The only real thing was the disappointment of going out by the nature that we did.
"We certainly had another game in us, the players felt that and I certainly felt that, but it wasn't to be on the day."
Stealing headlines off the pitch for Northern Ireland was Will Grigg, who earned a call-up for the competition and saw his now-infamous chant heard all around fan zones and stadiums during the summer.
But despite the fans' insistence that Will Grigg was on fire, the Wigan striker's hopes of featuring at the Euros were extinguished by O'Neill, as he failed to play a single minute in the tournament.
"I wasn't sick of the song, it was maybe the media's coverage. I was repeatedly asked in press conferences why I didn't play Will, but it would have been nice to get him on the pitch," said O'Neill.
"Equally, the factors in the game in terms of substitutions, it wasn't a reflection on Will as a player, it just wasn't what we needed in that time of the game."
Looking towards 2017 and indeed qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, O'Neill admitted his side are in a strong position.
Currently sitting second behind world champions Germany in Group C, Northern Ireland will likely target a runner-up spot which could see them reach the play-offs late next year.
And O'Neill says a boost in confidence from their run at the Euros has put them in good stead on their mission to reach a first World Cup since 1986.
"The mentality has changed and the players deserve an enormous amount of credit for that. They had played through bad campaigns and it wasn't easy to change that mindset," O'Neill added.
"Results breed confidence and momentum. And the biggest indication of that is how the ream reacted post-Euros, sitting second in the group behind Germany.
"We want to make sure that come the final double-headers in the tournament, we're in with a real chance [of reaching Russia].
"We can ourselves in with a good chance with positive results in the next two games, and then we have the Czech Republic and Germany both to come to Belfast.
"It would be nice to have those games with a huge prize at stake, and that's what he have to aim for."
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