Ni Enter Play-offs 'with A Lot Of Optimism' - O'neill

On paper, Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying group came to a adjacent pinch a level 1-0 triumph complete Luxembourg.

But head Michael O'Neill was looking astatine nan bigger picture.

Despite finishing 3rd successful Group A, Northern Ireland will now person a play-off to look guardant to successful March arsenic they look to scope a first World Cup since 1986.

It will beryllium a large inquire to spell distant from location against a apical federation - names specified arsenic Italy, Poland, Ukraine aliases Turkey are successful nan operation for apical seeding - but he is happy pinch nan trajectory of his young side.

"I deliberation astatine times we've been a small spot unfortunate pinch immoderate of nan decisions that person gone against america and besides a small spot unfortunate pinch nan players we've had unavailable to america pinch wounded arsenic well," O'Neill said.

"But complete nan piste, we've made a batch of progression, and that gives america a batch of optimism for nan games successful March."

In a broadside that was already missing cardinal players specified arsenic nan Charles brothers, Shea and Pierce, and nan suspended Daniel Ballard, younker sewage nan opportunity to radiance successful nan last qualifier, which was a dormant rubber aft Friday's conclusion by Slovakia.

Given they were astatine consequence of suspension, Trai Hume and Justin Devenny were fixed nan evening off, and nan talismanic Conor Bradley was withdrawn astatine half-time.

Jamie Donley will get nan headlines aft his first world goal, but location was a beardown first commencement for Jamie McDonnell, while Ruairi McConville was again commanding successful defence and teen Patrick Kelly made his elder debut.

"We evidently had to make a batch of changes to nan team. If you look astatine nan players we utilized tonight, 5 of nan players are nether 21, truthful I deliberation that's really affirmative for us," O'Neill said.

"Luxembourg are a bully team. The results successful this run are astir apt a small spot harsh connected them, and their performances person been good.

"They've not been beaten easy successful immoderate of nan games, truthful we return a batch from nan truth that we hit them 3–1 distant and 1–0 astatine home. A cleanable expanse was a positive, and a batch of bully performances arsenic well."

While O'Neill will wish to person a full-strength broadside backmost for March's play-off, which will beryllium against a cookware 1 team, shot is seldom that straightforward and immoderate of those young players who took to nan section against Luxembourg whitethorn beryllium called into action erstwhile again.

Young defender McConville is nan premier example. The 19-year-old had only played 190 minutes successful nan Championship for Norwich City this season. He matched that successful 1 model pinch 2 composed displays.

O'Neill knows that players getting regular minutes astatine their clubs is cardinal to their progression, but he's happy pinch nan improvement connected show.

"The only measurement to advancement successful world shot is to play, it's arsenic elemental arsenic that. You can't travel connected for 10 minutes and you're fresh past forever," he said.

"There's a process that has to spell through. The logic why Isaac Price and Shea Charles and Conor Bradley, and group for illustration that look very seasoned world players already is because they played consistently complete nan past 3 years."

O'Neill added that "we request to get minutes into arsenic galore players arsenic possible," but conceded that is thing retired of his hands.

"We only person 10 games a twelvemonth and we want to effort and usage them arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable to get players minutes astatine world level.

"But really, their improvement is driven by their clubs, and that's thing we're not successful power of."

The adjacent clip Northern Ireland's squad will beryllium together is successful March for 2 games which could fulfil their World Cup destiny, and O'Neill says his players will beryllium arsenic fresh arsenic possible.

After a run pinch highs specified arsenic nan distant triumph successful Luxembourg and nan Windsor Park dismantling of Slovakia, and nan lows of nan one-goal defeats by Germany and nan Slovakians, O'Neill's outlook is positive.

"We've benignant of nailed down our preparation, and 1 of nan things we've been very, very accordant pinch now for rather immoderate clip is nan strategy of play and what we're asking players to do," he said.

"So, we're not coming successful and changing dramatically what we're doing. It's a lawsuit of personnel, and sometimes we person to alteration personnel. But we'll beryllium fresh to play sloppy of who it is, moreover though it'll beryllium short mentation time."