Northern Ireland U19s manager Gareth McAuley praised the spirit of his team after a narrow defeat to Norway this week.
Competition
U19 Friendly
Norway U19s 2 Northern Ireland U19s 0
Scorers
Norway: Heredia-Randen (57), Olderheim (90)
Venue
Mellos Stadion, Moss
Date
5 September 2024
Team News
McAuley, who was back in the dugout after competing in the UEFA U19 Euros in Belfast and Larne in the summer, made changes to his squad for this mini tournament where they face off against Norway and Sweden in preparation for Euro qualifiers later this autumn.
How it happened
The manager commented on a hard but positive opening 45 minutes:
“The game went as expected, with tough opposition and tough conditions in the heat, but the boys for long spells did well.
"A lot of the players were in for the first time and for big periods of the game we were very good, and I was happy with a lot of the things we were doing."
Half-time: Norway U19s 0-0 Northern Ireland U19s
Norway scored twice in the second half, and the game ended up with the hosts running out victorious.
“I suppose the scoreline doesn’t fully reflect the game," said the manager. "We were disappointed for the boys to concede at the very end.
"They had worked hard on the structure all week, and there were lots of green shoots, particularly seeing the new lads take things onboard, which is what they were asked to do. And moving forward that’s a positive sign."
He also pointed out what a good learning experience the game.
He said: “We have been able to able to highlight things that we need to be better at. We've been working on that going into the Sweden game, and we’d like to get as many of the lads on the pitch as possible."
McAuley is now looking forward to the final game of the tournament against Sweden tomorrow and ultimately the UEFA Euro U19 qualifiers in November.
“All in all the effort, application and the quality of the players was great to see and gives us something to really work with over the next couple of days and we’re looking forward to hitting the pitch again for the final session and game against Sweden, which will be another tough game in hot conditions," he said.
"But that's part and parcel of the learning experience for everybody.”
Full time: Norway U19s 2-0 Northern Ireland U19s
Northern Ireland: Munn, Simpson, Moreland, Briggs, Goodman, Doherty, Stitt, McClure, Graham, Turley, Brannigan.
Substitutes: Gracey, Wilson, Brammeld, Orr, Hughes, Anderson, Corrigan, Hawthorne, Doherty, Devine, Walsh.
