Tommy Wright salutes his Northern Ireland U21 squad for 'digging in' and getting the win against Latvia

A superb free-kick from attacking midfielder Sam Glenfield on the hour mark was enough to secure all three points for Northern Ireland.

The playing surface at The Oval proved to be problematic due to heavy rain in Belfast over the last few days, meaning not much football was played by either side.

But Glenfield came up with moment of magic to ensure Northern Ireland made it seven points from four games in their qualifying campaign to date.

Next up for the U21s is a qualifier against Greece on Tuesday (18 November).

"They just showed character, that's all that was needed on a night like this,” Wright told Northern Ireland’s social media platforms.

"There wasn't much football played, there couldn't be. We said it would be a set play or a mistake we thought would win the game and Sam's popped up and hit a great free kick in the top corner...so really pleased.

"We started the game well and of course with the conditions both teams are going to create a bit of chaos and havoc and that happened.

"But I think in the second half, except for maybe the last five minutes, we were mostly camped in in their half, so really good performance and I'm really pleased with every one of them.”

Wright cited a togetherness within the squad as the main catalyst for digging deep and getting over the line.

He explained: “They're a good group, they've played at underage level, some of them went to school together, so they have a connection with each other and that definitely helps.

"It was a night for digging in and getting the result, that's the most important thing.

"I don't think the weather will ever be as bad as this in Greece, and hopefully we can put in another good performance.

"I know the character over there, but hopefully we'll see a bit more quality because in the conditions tonight there wasn't an opportunity for us to show our quality as well.”