A glimpse into NI's future - What we noticed against Austria
- Published
Liam Boyce impressed against Austria in Vienna
After the disappointment of Thursday's defeat to Slovakia, Northern Ireland's trip to Austria was surprisingly positive - well, for 81 minutes.
Ian Baraclough rallied his troops and got the performance he was looking for but NI's wait for a win in the Nations League goes on.
It may have ended in another defeat but there are reasons for optimism as Northern Ireland's rebuild continues.
Here are five takeaways from the game. Goodnight, Vienna.
Do we have to take part?
It was looking so promising but Northern Ireland's winless record in the Nations League rumbles on.
It was a bit of a patched-up NI team but they certainly looked up for the fight, which was pleasing to see after Thursday's deflating disappointment.
The first-half performance was like the Northern Ireland of old, with Baraclough's side deifficult to break down and looked dangerous on the counter.
Josh Magennis' opener was well-deserved but there was more bad luck as Austria's equaliser looked offside, however with a point looming, a long free-kick caught the defence napping - which proved to be costly.
It was probably the best performance of Baraclough's short tenure to date but ultimately the result didn't reflect the positive performance
A glimpse into the future
As expected, Baraclough made a raft of changes for the trip to Vienna with several younger players handed a chance to impress on the international stage.
Daniel Ballard was solid in the heart of Northern Ireland's defence and made several important interventions - most notably on Michael Gregoritsch and David Alaba.
Ali McCann was bright on his debut too, even if he didn't see a lot of the ball, and he made a pair of crunching tackles on Stefan Lainer and Isanker which shows he isn't afraid to get stuck in.
The lesser spotted Ethan Galbraith will have to wait for his second international appearance but at the other end of the experience scale, it was nice to see Steven Davis tick towards Peter Shilton's 125-cap record.
Ali McCann wasn't afraid to get stuck in on his Northern Ireland debut
Leading by example
We're aware that we can be the main cheer leaders of Stuart Dallas, but after winning his 50th cap against Slovakia the Leeds United man was handed the captain's armband for the match in Vienna.
In Northern Ireland's last three internationals, Dallas has played right wing, left wing, centre midfield and right wing back - even an out-and-out right back if you count the second-half against Austria.
In fact, he has played all but 77 minutes of Northern Ireland's eight Nations League matches to date and his endless energy and never-say-die attitude make him invaluable to Baraclough.
When you do have young players coming through, especially with Davis edging towards the end of his international career, having a player of Dallas' calibre to act as a role model for the next generation is priceless.
Best of Boycey
Conor Washington and Liam Boyce were tasked with leading the line after Josh Magennis cut a lonely figure for much of the play-off final defeat.
As ever, Washington ran his socks off but Boyce in particular looked really bright although he probably should have played in his strike partner in the early stages.
Boyce is a class technical footballer, with a plenty of neat touches while surrounded by red shirts which brought the midfield and Washington into play. All he was missing is a goal.
Magennis will get the headlines but this was by far Hearts man's best performance in a Northern Ireland shirt. Long may it continue.
Play to the whistle!
Every cloud...
We'll end on a high point.
Play to the whistle. It's one of the first rules you are taught in football. Thankfully Josh Magennis kept his cool and handed NI a well-earned lead with 15 minutes to go.
To be fair to the Austrian defenders, on first viewing Magennis looked so far offside he was standing 180 miles away in Salzburg.
But on reflection, Gavin Whyte, Paddy McNair and Magennis worked it to perfection and it was a sign of some free-flowing football that was underrated in the Michael O'Neill era.
It also ends the run of conceding first in every game of Ian Baraclough's tenure. In a week of bitter disappointment, you have to take every bit of silver lining you can get.