Tanya Oxtoby 'proud' of Northern Ireland but admits there is room for improvement after Iceland defeat

​The play-off that was due to take place on Tuesday but had to be rescheduled by 24 hours because of heavy snowfall in Reykjavik ended in a comprehensive loss for Oxtoby’s team.

Iceland’s 2-0 lead from the first leg in Ballymena was extended in the 32nd minute when Sveindis Jonsdottir fired the opener.

Hlin Eiriksdottir and then Emilia Asgeirsdottir hit the target in the second half to complete the rout on Wednesday.

The 5-0 aggregate defeat means Northern Ireland will stay in League B and lower their seeding for the World Cup qualification draw.

“I said at the start of the tie we would end up where we deserve to end up,” Oxtoby told BBC Sport NI.

“I thought there was elements of that tonight that were really, really good.

“There are areas we can really improve. We spoke about that, that we would get found out in certain areas and there would be learnings from that.

“For the group to come out and perform how they did, the country should be super proud of the players for what they've had to deal with over the last couple of days,” she added.

“I think their application to do what we are asking is nothing short of extraordinary. I think there are small areas for us, particularly in possession, where we need to develop.

“I think that comes with a bit of time and the players know the areas we need to be better at. We can't click our fingers and change that, so we need to stick together,” added the Northern Ireland boss.

“The morale of this group is better than it has ever been. The desire is better than it has ever been.”

Oxtoby admitted the postponement of the second leg had been “challenging” but added she was “super-proud” of how the team adapted to difficulties they faced.

She also claimed there was a “long way to go” in women’s football with regard to “professionalism and the way things are done”.