Disappointed after a draw away to Poland! Suppose it’s possibly a good sign! But tonight could have been so much more.
NI, finally free of George McCartney thanks (and I mean thanks!) to an injury that will also keep him out of Wednesday, pretty much dominated the first half. Great composed finish by Lafferty. Header off the line by left back Evans – don’t think George would have got that! Also what I think is our strongest midfield – again injury meant Nigel didn’t have to decide whether to play Brunt or not.
Then in the second half it all went wrong. Laffs off injured. Paterson comes on and misses two great chances. The first was unforgivable, Evans had ran half the pitch with the ball and was still steaming forward, Healy was there too, and the Burnley striker opted to shoot from outside the box with his left foot. Then, moments later he was clean through, looked certain to score but didn’t even hit the target. Might not get a Burnley shirt after all!
We’re still very much in the mix, especially given the other result tonight, but a win would have left us in a great position to possibly even win the group. But let’s not be greedy I suppose!
Captain Stephen Craigan will act as caretaker until an appointment is made. The Northern Ireland defender will be in charge when the players report for pre-season training on Monday. And the 32-year-old told BBC Scotland: “We hope to have a new manager by the end of the week. “But they needed someone to organise training, so I have spoken with the physio. It might all change in a couple of days if someone is appointed.”
A Wee Spot in Europe 