Northern Ireland have been grouped with Belarus, Germany and Montenegro in Group 7 in the qualifying round. They are played in one country and they've been fortunate that this particular group is being played in Northern Ireland.
To be certain of qualifying for the Elite Round they must finish in the top two places. That looked a difficult prospect when they went down to a 5-1 defeat against Germany at the Showgrounds, Coleraine last Thursday whilst Belarus and Montenegro were sharing the spoils with a 0-0 draw at Dungannon.
Shay didn't play in the German defeat; he was an unused substitute but he played the whole 90 minutes on Saturday when they came right back into the competition by beating Belarus 3-1 at the Oval, home of Glentoran whilst the German's were ensuring their qualification with a 2-0 win against Montenegro. McCartan netted the first goal on 13 minutes to set up the win.
They are back at the Oval tomorrow afternoon where a draw will now ensure they will reach the Elite Round which will again be played in groups of four with each winner reaching the finals in the summer.
Source: FOOTYMAD
