Weir and Cadlwell called into Northern Ireland squad
Teenager Kascie Weir and midfielder Nadene Caldwell have been called into the Northern Ireland squad for the opening Nations League matches with Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.Striker Kerry Beattie, 22, was forced off in the first half of Aberdeen's defeat by Motherwell on Sunday while Cliftonville captain Burrows has also been forced to withdraw.Experienced midfielder Caldwell has been drafted into the squad while her Glentoran team-mate and Under-19 international striker Kascie Weir has been handed a first call-up.Caldwell has not featured for NI since picking up an ankle injury in the autumn while Weir, 18, has been rewarded for a strong season with Glentoran, when she scored seven goals in 2024. "It's disappointing not to have Kelsie and Kerry join the squad, however it's great to have Nadene back," said Oxtoby. "She has worked really hard to recover from her injury. She is one of our leaders, so it's really great to be able to bring her back in."Weir was set to play for NI in Under-19 European qualifiers and Oxtoby said she is a player she has been "monitoring for a while". "I got to see her in two in-house games between the seniors and the U19s and she was really impressive," said the Australian."It represents another great progression for us in terms of the youth pathway and the players we are bringing through."Former England internationals Laura Bassett and Izzy Christiansen have been added to the coaching set-up for the opening Nations League matches.Oxtoby's face Poland in Gdansk, on Friday, 21 February and welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to Larne four days later.Romania are the fourth side in League B1 and face NI in April's double-header.
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