THERE can be few more daunting prospects than making your international debut in front of your country's expectant fans.

A lifetime's ambition hanging in the balance and a nation pinning its collective hopes on you.

So imagine what it must have been like to have made your international debut with the tag of 'the new George Best' hanging around your neck. Former Middlesbrough midfielder Terry Cochrane doesn't have to imagine - he lived through the experience and survived to tell the tale.

In 1978, Best won the last of his 37 caps for Northern Ireland. In 1979, Cochrane made the first of his 14 starts against Denmark. Northern Irish fans were looking for a seamless transition.

Like his predecessor in the side, Cochrane was a skilful left winger who excelled with the ball at his feet. Like the one-time European Footballer of the Year, Cochrane was adept at drifting from his wing to link up with the attack.

But unlike his hero, Cochrane was not one of the greatest footballers in the world. For a while, it was difficult for both him and Northern Ireland to come to terms with that fact.

"In hindsight, the comparisons were inevitable," said Cochrane, who made 128 appearances for Middlesbrough after becoming the club's record signing when he moved from Burnley in 1978.

"People were still coming to terms with the fact that George had retired from the international game and I think they were desperately hoping I would slip straight into his shoes.

"I had been in two squads with him, but never had the chance to play in the same side.

"We were similar in the way we played and, at first, it was great to be mentioned in the same breath.

"It was nice that the people felt me worthy of being compared to George Best, but it also meant they expected miracles every time I went onto the pitch.

"I was never going to be another George Best - how could anyone have been? He was probably the biggest one-off in the history of football.

"So I had to learn to play my game and the fans had to learn to accept me for who I was. We got there in the end but, for a while it wasn't easy. Eventually, everyone accepted there was only ever going to be one George Best."

Born in Killyleagh in January 1953, Cochrane was uniquely well placed to appreciate the sporting and social significance of Best.

He was ten when Belfast's favourite son made his debut for Manchester United and was 14 when he ran rings around Scotland for his native Northern Ireland.

As a football-loving youth, Best's Beatle haircut was a constant presence in his everyday existence.

"If you were into football at that time, you were automatically into George Best," said Cochrane, who still lives on Teesside and works as a summariser on local radio station TFM. "And that's not just Northern Ireland. That applied to everywhere in England and a lot of places in the world.

"My brother supported Manchester United and he was George Best daft. I used to watch him with him and we both used to copy his play.

"He influenced all of Northern Irish football at that time. As children, the only time we would argue was when we were picking who we would pretend to be when we were playing on the street.

"Everyone wanted to be George Best. Everyone wanted to be dribbling down the wing and cutting in to score sensational goals - there was normally a shortage of keepers."

Best transformed British football overnight but, in Northern Ireland, his impact was not confined to the sporting sphere.

While he was carrying all before him at Old Trafford, the province was tearing itself apart along a bitter sectarian divide.

The Bloody Sunday massacre, where British paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights march in January 1972, marked one of the blackest days in Northern Irish history. It also co-incided with one of Best's most productive spells for United.

Northern Irish society was more polarised than it had ever been but, when Best was on the field, religion was superseded by sport. In a world of enmity and strife, a footballer was the only unifying force.

"George was the only person who commanded unwavering support from the whole of Northern Ireland," said Cochrane. "It didn't matter if you were a Protestant or a Catholic - when George was playing, you stopped what you were doing and watched.

"Back then, there were an awful lot of problems in Northern Ireland. Religion meant everything and the IRA was at its peak. But when it came to George Best, everyone pulled together as one. I can't think of anyone else who you could say that about."

Throughout sporting history, the greatest of the greats have always transcended their medium.

Muhammad Ali was more than a boxer, Jesse Owens was more than an athlete and George Best exerted an influence that dwarfed what he achieved in football. Ultimately, though, it is his football for which he will be remembered.

"I remember when I first joined the squad with Northern Ireland," said Cochrane. "George had come back from the Los Angeles Aztecs to play and people were saying he was over the hill.

"He strolled onto the field in training and, for the next couple of hours, I just stood and admired.

"I thought I had seen pretty much everything football could offer. With his best days behind him, George could still do things I didn't think possible.

"He was, quite simply, the best footballer in the world. I feel privileged to have known him and seen him play."