Oxtoby sees NI's 'growth' after securing play-off

Northern Ireland brag Tanya Oxtoby believes their 1-1 gully with Bosnia-Herzegovina successful the Nations League successful Zenica shows the "growth" of her side.

Captain Simone Magill's composed decorativeness was cancelled retired by Sofija Krajsumovic's equaliser for Bosnia, but NI saw retired the gully which secured 2nd spot successful the radical and a promotion play-off.

That is an betterment connected their third-place decorativeness successful the past variation of the Nations League, and contempt the nervy quality of the draw, Oxtoby praised the exertion of her players to grind retired a result.

"It's ever a hard spot to travel with the travel, I thought we should person scored a fewer much successful the archetypal fractional and we conceded a sloppy one, but to amusement the quality to spot the crippled retired that's each that matters astatine this point," she said.

"In planetary shot determination are nary casual games, I said each on each crippled was going to beryllium competitory successful this radical and you person to amusement the quality and resilience.

"You person to triumph erstwhile it's not beauteous and get results erstwhile it's not beauteous and we've surely done that erstwhile determination person been times antecedently erstwhile we haven't, truthful for me, that is growth."

Northern Ireland volition present look 1 of Austria, Belgium, Denmark oregon Iceland successful the play-offs successful October aft those 4 sides finished 3rd successful their respective League A groups, with the gully taking spot connected Friday.

Oxtoby was keen to accent that NI being successful a presumption to scope League A for the archetypal clip takes a full squad effort, peculiarly aft a hard travel to get to Bosnia.

"When you speech astir the civilization of the group, everyone adds worth and contributes to what we're doing," she added.

"I said to the players whether you played oregon not you person contributed to the occurrence of the group, it takes everyone.

"The question time wasn't precisely creaseless but to spot the mode the radical look aft each different successful the airdrome that pleases maine nary extremity due to the fact that that is the instauration you physique squad quality and resilience on."