 Ivan Sproule celebrated his first goal for Northern Ireland |
Northern Ireland matchwinner Ivan Sproule said he was hungry for more international goals after netting on his debut for his country. "Hopefully, it is the first of many," said the Hibs star after his strike in the second minute earned a 1-0 win over Estonia at a snowbound Windsor Park.
"It was my first touch and was something we had been working on in training, me coming in at the far post.
"It came off David Healy and I just smashed it in."
Manager Lawrie Sanchez declared himself reasonably satisfied with the night's work.
"It was a scruffy game, but in the past we were losing scruffy games so it was a good result. It is important to win football matches," said the NI boss.
"The first half was good but the second was a bit more disjointed as we made substitutions.
"We had to think about players with matches on Saturday and to give them a chance to rest.
"There were chances for us to win by more, but to be fair they had opportunities too and Maik Taylor pulled off saves when he had to.
"It was good for Ivan to get his goal. He is a crowd pleaser and you could hear their reaction every time he got the ball. They like a quick winger."
MMIX
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