Worthington left heartened

Nigel Worthington hailed another positive performance after an inexperienced Northern Ireland side snatched a late draw against Morocco last night.

Rory Patterson struck an 86th-minute penalty at a wet Windsor Park to ensure a the international friendly finished 1-1 after Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh capitalised on a goalkeeping error to open the scoring. Having been forced by withdrawals to make eight changes, Worthington was satisfied with the outcome and felt it maintained a good feeling after an unbeaten start to Euro 2012 qualifying.

Worthington said: "Some people question these situations but, from my point of view, they are always worthwhile. They (players] have been challenged and they have come through the challenge.

"Morocco had a lot of the ball but we kept our shape, the young ones took the information from the last couple of days on board. We have not been beaten, which is a huge plus. Some of the young ones have come through with good steady performances."