Prodigious NI shot-stopper hungry to preserve proud personal record in Iceland showdown
Teenage goalkeeper Pierce Charles is looking for home comforts at Windsor Park on Tuesday night against Iceland after the weekend friendly defeat in Denmark and has revealed he has no desire to leave Sheffield Wednesday despite speculation about his future.
Charles came on at the beginning of the second-half in the 2-1 friendly loss in Copenhagen for the injured Conor Hazard and made a number of fine saves as the Danes piled on the pressure.
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Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Che Adams ends Scotland drought in style as unrecognisable Steve Clarke side dismantles Liechtenstein
Our man Scott Burns was in Liechtenstein as Clarke's much-changed side returned to winning ways Scotland played in the shadows of the Alps and it was hat-trick hero Che Adams who peaked in this much-needed win over Liechtenstein. Yes, it was only a friendly but it put a win on the board and both Clarke's starting frontmen got in on the act. Adams got a treble and George Hirst netted his first for the country. Lennon Miller made his first start and made an immediate impact. He saw a shot blocked and Adams knocked in the rebound in the fourth minute. The Torino star got another in the first half, after Miller pressed, won it and fed the forward who finished with a low reverse shot. Scotland dominated. John McGinn's second half shot came off the post before Anthony Ralston put in a cross and Adams flicked it on to Hirst to score. It was a job done. Clarke was also able to give debuts to Josh Doig, Andy Irving, Connor Barron and Kieron Bowie in the closing stages. Adams claimed the matchball when he netted from a Nathan Patterson cross with the final touch of the game. Okay, the minnows were never going to offer the toughest of challenges but Scotland got the victory and a welcome boost ahead of the World Cup qualifiers - which kick-off in the next international window in September. There will be no room for error against Denmark, Greece and Belarus. This game in the Rheinpark Stadium brought some welcome positivity back after the home defeats to Greece and Iceland. It was only Scotland's second visit to Liechtenstein; the last one was a 2-1 win back in 2010. This one was as straightforward as they come. They got the win they were after. The Scotland players can now rest up after a long, hard season and focus on the real action. The one thing that is certain is that the next team they face in red and white - the Danes - will be a significantly tougher nut to crack. Ross Doohan answers SOS for Scotland debut The Celtic-bound keeper was on holiday in Turkey when he took the call to see if he would make the trip to Liechtenstein. The 27-year-old had been a Scotland under-21 regular but his last action on that front had been five years ago. Doohan had played a number of games for Aberdeen this season and got the nod because he was still training up to the Scottish Cup final. The Tartan Army encouraged his every touch. He probably couldn't have picked a better opponent. He was rarely troubled and spent most of the time as a sweeper rather than keeper. Perfect first start with a cap and a clean sheet. Lennon Miller makes first start The Motherwell youngster came off the bench to make his debut against Iceland. He was handed his full debut in Vaduz. The one thing he always tried to be was positive. He was always looking up and trying to make things happen. He played a part in two of Adams' goals. The first his shot was blocked and it was his pressing that raced Liechtenstein into the mistake for the second. The 18-year-old can be happy with his night's work. It certainly won't be his last Scotland start. Could this be his last act as a Motherwell player? Previous manager, Michael Wimmer, has predicted he would be departing Fir Park this summer. Che Adams breaks Scotland drought in style The striker had done well in his first season in Torino, finishing as his side's top scorer. He had found goals harder to come by in dark blue. In fact, his early goal was his first in over a year, since he netted in the friendly win over Gibraltar. You could see the delight in his face as he finally got back on target for his country. There was no such long, frustrating wait for his next Scotland goal. It took him 22 minutes to make it a double. He made it a treble in the final minute. It is now a more respectable nine goals in 39 appearances. He also pitched in with a neat assist for Hirst. George Hirst opens his Scotland account The Ipswich Town forward got his first start against Iceland last week and Clarke stuck by him for this game. Hirst had made cameo sub appearances. He looked half-decent against Iceland. He was in on the action in the early stages of this game too. He worked hard again and got his moment of glory when he knocked home Adams' header from close range in the 48th minute. Has he staked a claim to start in the World Cup qualifiers? Scotland's terrible friendly record improved Clarke has ordered an improvement from his players going into this double header but the first game ended in disappointment against Iceland. The national coach went into this game with just one win in his last 10 friendly games. Yes, okay a lot of them were against top opposition but there were also a few blots on the copybook, like Northern Ireland and Iceland at home. Scotland's last friendly had been over a year ago when they beat Gibraltar in a warm-up for Euro 2024. The best of the rest had been draws with Finland, Austria and Poland and a number of morale-denting defeats against Turkey, England, France, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Iceland. It was unlikely Clarke and his team were going to come up short in this one and they didn't! Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Northern Ireland talking points ahead of Iceland friendly
After back-to-back defeats away to Sweden and Denmark, Michael O'Neill's men will be looking forward to the home comforts of Windsor Park. Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the game. Final dress rehearsal Ahead of Iceland tomorrow, the press get an update from the boss and Isaac Price 🎙️ #GAWA — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 9, 2025 O'Neill said at the start of the year he was happy Northern Ireland were drawn in a four-nation World Cup qualifying group as no competitive games before September gave him more time to prepare a young squad. But that time is now largely up with this the last run out before Northern Ireland travel to Luxembourg and then Germany for their opening Group A fixtures in September. Following two difficult away trips in the last two games, O'Neill will be looking for a confidence-boosting win before the campaign begins. Changes incoming Michael O'Neill plans to freshen up his side against Iceland (Brian Lawless/PA) O'Neill plans to freshen up his side for Tuesday's game, mindful that his players are at the end of a long season and many are at different places in terms of their fitness. Ali McCann started against Denmark despite not playing for Preston since March through injury, while Daniel Ballard has also seen limited action for Sunderland after an injury-impacted campaign. However, O'Neill pointed out that Northern Ireland do not have the depth to be making sweeping changes and still field a competitive side. Hale to get his chance? Ronan Hale, left, is waiting to make his Northern Ireland debut (Jane Barlow/PA) Ronan Hale is still waiting for his Northern Ireland debut after first being called into the squad in March following a long wait for his switch of allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to come through. There had been an expectation in some quarters that the Ross County forward, who scored 18 goals in County's unsuccessful fight against relegation, might have got some minutes in Copenhagen but instead he was left on the bench again. O'Neill has warned that some players will come out of this camp without playing any minutes but, as Northern Ireland remain without an undisputed first-choice striker, Hale will be desperate to show what he can do. Pierce Charles unbeaten at home Pierce Charles is yet to taste defeat at Windsor Park (Liam McBurney/PA) Pierce Charles seems likely to start again in goal after coming off the bench to replace an injured Conor Hazard at half-time in Saturday's 2-1 defeat in Copenhagen. If he does, the 19-year-old will be making his eighth appearance for Northern Ireland and fourth at Windsor Park, where he has won two and drawn one of his three previous games, keeping two clean sheets. Hazard has returned home following the injury, with 20-year-old Stephen McMullan called in as cover. Iceland in transition Arnar Gunnlaugsson took over as Iceland boss in January (Andrew Milligan/PA) Iceland manager Arnar Gunnlaugsson will be a familiar face to followers of English football, having played for Bolton, Leicester and Stoke during his playing career. The former forward is still getting his feet under the table as Iceland boss, having only taken over in January, with this to be his fourth game in charge. But Iceland travel to Belfast riding high on the back of an impressive 3-1 win over Scotland at Hampden Park, with Gunnlaugsson's aggressive pressing style delivering encouraging early results.
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Northern Ireland talking points ahead of Iceland friendly
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the game. Final dress rehearsal Ahead of Iceland tomorrow, the press get an update from the boss and Isaac Price 🎙️ #GAWA — Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) June 9, 2025 O'Neill said at the start of the year he was happy Northern Ireland were drawn in a four-nation World Cup qualifying group as no competitive games before September gave him more time to prepare a young squad. But that time is now largely up with this the last run out before Northern Ireland travel to Luxembourg and then Germany for their opening Group A fixtures in September. Following two difficult away trips in the last two games, O'Neill will be looking for a confidence-boosting win before the campaign begins. Changes incoming Michael O'Neill plans to freshen up his side against Iceland (Brian Lawless/PA) O'Neill plans to freshen up his side for Tuesday's game, mindful that his players are at the end of a long season and many are at different places in terms of their fitness. Ali McCann started against Denmark despite not playing for Preston since March through injury, while Daniel Ballard has also seen limited action for Sunderland after an injury-impacted campaign. However, O'Neill pointed out that Northern Ireland do not have the depth to be making sweeping changes and still field a competitive side. Hale to get his chance? Ronan Hale, left, is waiting to make his Northern Ireland debut (Jane Barlow/PA) Ronan Hale is still waiting for his Northern Ireland debut after first being called into the squad in March following a long wait for his switch of allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to come through. There had been an expectation in some quarters that the Ross County forward, who scored 18 goals in County's unsuccessful fight against relegation, might have got some minutes in Copenhagen but instead he was left on the bench again. O'Neill has warned that some players will come out of this camp without playing any minutes but, as Northern Ireland remain without an undisputed first-choice striker, Hale will be desperate to show what he can do. Pierce Charles unbeaten at home Pierce Charles is yet to taste defeat at Windsor Park (Liam McBurney/PA) Pierce Charles seems likely to start again in goal after coming off the bench to replace an injured Conor Hazard at half-time in Saturday's 2-1 defeat in Copenhagen. If he does, the 19-year-old will be making his eighth appearance for Northern Ireland and fourth at Windsor Park, where he has won two and drawn one of his three previous games, keeping two clean sheets. Hazard has returned home following the injury, with 20-year-old Stephen McMullan called in as cover. Iceland in transition Arnar Gunnlaugsson took over as Iceland boss in January (Andrew Milligan/PA) Iceland manager Arnar Gunnlaugsson will be a familiar face to followers of English football, having played for Bolton, Leicester and Stoke during his playing career. The former forward is still getting his feet under the table as Iceland boss, having only taken over in January, with this to be his fourth game in charge. But Iceland travel to Belfast riding high on the back of an impressive 3-1 win over Scotland at Hampden Park, with Gunnlaugsson's aggressive pressing style delivering encouraging early results.
