England Under 21s might only sneak into next summer’s European Championship after the post-Lee Carsley era got off to an inauspicious start.
Minnows Northern Ireland held the European champions to a goalless draw in Ballymena – a result that has handed advantage of Group F to Ukraine.
Interim boss Ben Futcher’s side host the group leaders in Bournemouth next month but even victory in that won’t be enough to top the group if Ukraine win their other two qualifiers.
England are the best second-placed side across the qualification stages at present and should have enough to reach the tournament in Slovakia without needing a playoff in November.
But a failure to break down a stubborn Northern Irish team - who were as long as 8/1 to nick a point beforehand – left the likes of James McAtee and Liam Delap shaking their heads as they went down the tunnel.
The result leaves Ukraine in control of the group for the European Championships
England were full of Premier League players such as Jarell Quansah, unlike their counterparts
‘The lads are frustrated in there,’ Futcher said. ‘We’ve done enough to get one if not more but the final action was lacking. We take the positives and move on.’
Tommy Wright, the former Manchester City goalkeeper, almost saw his team snatch it late on when Justin Devenny, whose only senior experience is in the Scottish third tier, whistled a 30-yard volley just over James Trafford’s bar.
Makenzie Kirk nearly took advantage of Jarrel Quansah’s loose pass moments earlier, too, on an evening when England’s Delap and McAtee went close but Futcher didn’t see enough invention.
‘You have to remember these are young players,’ Futcher added. ‘They make mistakes. We feel some of the play was good. We needed to be a bit tidier around the final third.’
A stubborn Northern Ireland ended up being good value for their point. Pictured: Dale Taylor
The gulf in class between the sides ought to have been obvious, with established stars at City, Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Aston Villa all starting for the Young Lions. Northern Ireland boasted youngsters plying their trades at Waterford, Inverness and National League pairing Ebbsfleet and York City.
Elliot Anderson did his international credentials no harm, incisive in midfield, while McAtee attempted to kickstart a sluggish England.
But the free-flowing identity that had become the hallmark of Carsley’s England was not apparent after a number of withdrawals - most notably Harvey Elliott and Adam Wharton – and senior call-ups for Noni Madueke and Rico Lewis.
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles – who has never featured in a senior league game in his career – made a string of decent saves and Wright celebrated wildly at securing a creditable point.
Not the dream start for interim boss Ben Futcher after Lee Carsley's success
Morgan Rodgers (right) couldn't bring his hot form to the under-21s on this occasion
N Ireland U21 (5-3-2): Charles 7.5, Fogarty 7, Donnelly 7, Forbes 7, Devlin 7 (Kearney 85), Kelly 7; Robinson 6.5 (Baggley 84), Devenny 6.5, Stewart 6 (Russell 84), McKiernan 6 (Kirk 64), Taylor 5 (Allen 79)Subs not used: Atcheson, Williams, Lusty, McMullan
England U21 (4-2-3-1): Trafford 6; Gray 6.5, Quansah 6, Harwood-Bellis 7, Doyle 6.5 (Hall 68, 6.5); Anderson 7 (Fellows 88), Hackney 6; Rowe 6 (Delap 60, 6), McAtee 7, Gittens 5 (Iling-Jr 68); Rogers 6.5Subs not used: Cresswell, Beadle, Morton, Scott, Hinshelwood