The next step or too much to ask? NI earn promotion chance
It wasn't a classic, but it was enough for Northern Ireland to get the job done. The goal had long been for Tanya Oxtoby's youthful side to fight for a chance to earn promotion to League A for the first time.Now, thanks to Tuesday's 1-1 draw in Bosnia-Herzegovina, they will play in a promotion play-off in the autumn. A draw was all that was required in Zenica, and captain Simone Magill found the opener after being played in by Rebecca Holloway's inch-perfect pass.But the hosts hit back as Sofija Krajsumovic capitalised on some soft defending to bring Bosnia level.There wasn't the dramatics from the reverse fixture in February in Larne, when Magill netted two late goals for a 3-2 win, but it was mission accomplished.In hindsight, that victory was crucial and ultimately the difference between facing a relegation play-off and having a shot at the big time."We needed a draw to get into the position of a play-off and we've got that. That's the main thing," former Northern Ireland captain Marissa Callaghan said on BBC Sport NI commentary."It's been the same sort of theme from the campaign where we start off really well, get our goal and you just want them to kick on a go for a second or maybe even a third. "But then we've given away a soft goal and it just changes."
Will NI close the gap to Europe's elite?
Callaghan had touched on what has been a frustrating theme from NI's Nations League campaign. There has certainly been bright moments from the youthful squad, but the lack of a full 90-minute performance has left points on the table after conceding soft goals - most notably in the draws with Romania and Bosnia. It has been a campaign of transition for the squad, with debuts handed to teenagers Kascie Weir, Aimee Kerr and Abi Sweetlove.Players such as Rebecca McKenna, Joely Andrews, Keri Halliday, Danielle Maxwell and Brenna McPartlan, all in their early 20s, have taken more steps forward as leaders in the team, popping up with pivotal moments.At the top end of experience, Magill has led the way, but players such as Lauren Wade, Jackie Burns, Holloway and Rachel Dugdale have had their moments too.While the campaign has been inconsistent, the blend in the squad shows things are pointing towards a bright future.If the positives, such as the flowing first-half football at home to Romania and defensive solidity in the second half away in Poland (albeit when the team were already 2-0 down) can start outweighing the negatives then the team will continue to move in the right direction. Is it enough for Northern Ireland to take the next step and join the top tier of European football? Time will tell.
The 7-0 aggregate defeat by Norway in the Euro 2025 play-offs showed that Europe's elite are on a different level, and the two Nations League games with Poland suggested there's work to do to close the gap to the best of the rest too.However, in the autumn they will get another opportunity to try and bridge that gap in a promotion play-off. They will be drawn against either Iceland, Denmark, Belgium or Austria, and will have nothing to lose as the underdogs - a tag which has suited Northern Ireland well in the past. "They would be really tough games. Iceland might be a team we would hope to get, but all four of them are League A teams who have qualified for major tournaments in recent years," Callaghan added. "We've played Austria and we know what they are capable of, but you can only take it one game at a time."Tanya and her team will make sure they do their homework on the opposition and set up accordingly."Even if the step up to League A is out of reach in the autumn, Callaghan doesn't necessarily believe that staying in their current tier would be a bad outcome."We're bringing a lot of youth into the squad and there are so many players who have less than 10 caps or just come out of the Under-19s. "So, to expect them to go up to League A and compete, I think it's a little bit too much to ask."We have a few 30-year-olds in terms of experience. Listen, League B has been a good league for us and it's been challenging for us."
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