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NORTHERN Ireland's Under-21 side stretched their unbeaten run to twelve games with a friendly defeat of Scotland at Drumahoe.

 

Skipper Thomas Stewart might have opened the scoring as early as the 7th minute after he deflected a Michael McGowan corner just past an upright.

 

However Stewart did make his mark on 63 minutes with a strong finish from 12 yards after Bryan Gilfillan had knocked a free-kick into his path.

 

The set piece was awarded when Cork based official Alan Buttimer adjudged that Kirk Broadfoot had passed the ball back to keeper David Marshall but this was fiercely contested by the visitors who claimed the ball had deflected off his knee.

 

Other home efforts included a Sean Ward blast over the bar after half-an-hour while, five minutes later, Kyle McVey - one of a host of local players in the panel - flashed a header from a Gilfillan cross past the post.

 

Northern Ireland: McGovern, S. Ward, Friars, McVey, McChrystal, Evans, McGowan, Gilfillan, Stewart, Ramsey, Scullion subs M. Ward (replaced Ramsey 46), Callaghan (replaced McVey 53), McCaffrey (replaced Friars 58), Buchanan (replaced Scullion 71), McFrederick (not used), Watson (not used), Simpson (not used)