Michael O'Neill praises 'late developer' Jamie Reid after marking Northern Ireland debut with goal in Romania draw

Reid, who has netted 17 times in League One this season, took just seven minutes to make an impact on the international stage, giving O’Neill’s men an early lead before Dennis Man got the hosts back on even terms following an error from goalkeeper Conor Hazard.

The 29-year-old made two appearances for Northern Ireland’s U21 side over a decade ago and has had to take the long road to the highest level, but O’Neill hailed the striker’s performance in Bucharest.

"I'm delighted for Jamie Reid,” he told BBC Sport. “I thought he came in and did really well and his goal is a great finish.

"His all-round play was very good, so it is a brilliant international start for him.

"It's no secret that we are not blessed with strikers who are playing at the top level of the game.

"Jamie has been scoring goals at League One level. He is a late developer and he has had to work hard in his career to get where he has got to now and he has had a brilliant season for Stevenage.

"He has scored a lot of goals in League Two and a lot of goals in League One, and now his first game in international football.

"Without knowing him too well, he seems to be a lad who, when you raise the bar, he takes that challenge and he wants to meet it.

"He has been a really good addition to the squad, he's a really nice boy and he has fitted in well."

With O’Neill adamant that Northern Ireland are going through “a rebirth” with the next generation of stars, including Liverpool’s Conor Bradley and Southampton midfielder Shea Charles, set to become mainstays of the team for years to come, the former Stoke City boss was pleased with the maturity his young side – which had an average age of just over 23 – showed against a Romanian outfit that haven’t lost in 18 months.

"We're very pleased,” he added. “This is a tough place to come.

"We came here nearly 10 years ago and were beaten 2-0 by a good Romanian team, and we had a much more experienced team than we had playing tonight.”