The Northern Ireland Powerchair Development Squad enjoyed a productive day of international action as they faced the Republic of Ireland in three friendly matches at Newforge Sports Complex in Belfast.
The squad, coached by Michael Hilland, featured Jason Browning, Ellie Brown, James Hare, Simon Lecky, Tilly McRoberts and Brian Og McStravog, with three players gaining their first experience of international football.
The opening fixture saw Browning, Brown and Lecky joined by debutant James Hare. Despite both sides creating chances during a closely contested first half, neither team could find a breakthrough before the interval.
Tilly McRoberts made her international debut at half-time and Northern Ireland’s quality from set pieces proved decisive after the restart. Browning twice supplied Lecky from free-kick situations as Northern Ireland moved into a two-goal lead before Lecky completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot late on. McStravog also made his international debut as a late substitute as Northern Ireland secured an impressive 3-0 victory.
For the second match, Hilland rotated his squad, with Lecky taking up goalkeeping duties alongside Browning, McStravog and McRoberts. The Republic of Ireland started brightly, but Northern Ireland showed great defensive resilience, with Lecky and Browning producing a number of important interventions to preserve a clean sheet. McRoberts came close to scoring her first international goal, only to be denied by a goal-line clearance as the game ended goalless.
Brown returned in goal for the third and final fixture, while Lecky resumed his outfield role. Northern Ireland rounded off the day in style with an energetic and fluent performance, earning a 1-0 victory thanks to a well-taken finish from McStravog, who came off the bench at half-time to score his first international goal.
Reflecting on the day, coach Michael Hilland praised the efforts of his young squad.
“This has been a useful experience for this group, with half the squad getting their first taste of international football,” he said.
“Credit to all the players who played some good football at times and showed a positive attitude throughout.”
