Wales v Northern Ireland

:00:19. > :00:22.taking part in Euro 2016. Tonight, Wales play their last match at home

:00:23. > :00:25.before the European Championships against fellow qualifiers Northern

:00:26. > :00:30.Ireland and the countdown has well and truly begun.

:00:31. > :00:38.With just under three months to go before Euro 2016 and dreams of

:00:39. > :00:43.Bordeaux, Lens and Toulouse become reality. Before we go forward, we

:00:44. > :00:49.must go back. Who is going to step up and book their place on the

:00:50. > :00:56.plane? COMMENTARY: It's a beauty! Every

:00:57. > :01:00.game between now and the tournament starting is preparation. It is huge.

:01:01. > :01:06.Everyone knows they are fighting for a place on that plane. The test

:01:07. > :02:56.tonight - Northern Ireland, also putting the finishing touches to

:02:57. > :03:03.love to be back out there. We need his legs. He is a big miss. For some

:03:04. > :03:06.of the young players tonight, this is a real opportunity to put their

:03:07. > :03:11.hands up? It is. It's a great chance. Chris will look at a few

:03:12. > :03:16.different things over these two games. It is a great chance for

:03:17. > :03:20.people - there are a few players missing. For some of these younger

:03:21. > :03:24.ones, it is a great chance to get on the plane to France. We will talk

:03:25. > :03:28.more in a few moments. Let's hear from both coaches.

:03:29. > :03:32.Chris, a few absentees tonight. I guess a chance for you to look at

:03:33. > :03:40.some fringe players? Yes, I think some young boys in there, one or two

:03:41. > :03:44.have been with us before. Ideally, we will give everybody some time on

:03:45. > :03:52.the pitch. It is all about building towards the tournament and we are

:03:53. > :03:55.missing quite a few. It's been a good few days since we have been

:03:56. > :04:00.together. A tough game tonight, Northern Ireland. We are looking

:04:01. > :04:04.forward to it. We are interested to see how some of the guys go at this

:04:05. > :04:11.level. Michael, only two changes tonight. Yes, we want consistency in

:04:12. > :04:15.the team. We have gone with a shape that we played in the last game as

:04:16. > :04:19.well. It is an opportunity for Conor Washington and Paddy McNair will

:04:20. > :04:23.start in midfield. We have one or two injuries. We are being cautious

:04:24. > :04:27.with one or two players who have knocks. Happy with the line-up.

:04:28. > :04:32.Michael O'Neill has signed a new contract with the Northern Ireland

:04:33. > :04:35.Football Association. He has done a magnificent job, as has Chris

:04:36. > :04:40.Coleman. Sam Vokes having a terrific season with Burnley, 14 goals this

:04:41. > :04:45.season. He has formed a formidable partnership with Andre Grey. This is

:04:46. > :04:54.a chance for him to say I want to lead the line? Most definitely. This

:04:55. > :04:59.season he has started to fulfil the potential he's always had. It will

:05:00. > :05:06.be a slightly different role for Sam tonight. Andre Gray stretches it

:05:07. > :05:10.long. Sam will be leading the line tonight with Tom Lawrence in behind

:05:11. > :05:13.him. I am pleased for him. He's got a good run of games. He is in

:05:14. > :05:19.terrific form. A great opportunity for him. Not so sure Chris Coleman

:05:20. > :05:22.will be happy with his latest interview, where he said, I'm not

:05:23. > :05:25.thinking about the European Championships, I'm thinking about

:05:26. > :05:29.promotion with Burnley. Could he do it at international level, could he

:05:30. > :05:32.lead the line at a major finals? In Sam's defence, they have to

:05:33. > :05:36.concentrate, players have to concentrate on what is in front of

:05:37. > :05:39.them. Once the season is over, Championship season, he will be

:05:40. > :05:42.focussed and committed to the Welsh cause without a doubt. I wouldn't

:05:43. > :05:47.worry too much about him saying that. He will be loving being on

:05:48. > :05:51.that plane to France. Northern Ireland will be in France. Their

:05:52. > :05:57.fans will be very noisy. They have a tough group with Germany in their

:05:58. > :06:03.group. From the genius of George Best in

:06:04. > :06:07.the '70s, to Gerry Armstrong's goal against Spain, Northern Ireland have

:06:08. > :06:09.had their memorable international moments.

:06:10. > :06:14.COMMENTARY: Northern Ireland have scored! After a 30-year wait to

:06:15. > :06:19.appear at a major tournament, they qualified for Euro 2016 winning

:06:20. > :06:26.their group. After a difficult start with Northern Ireland, Michael

:06:27. > :06:30.O'Neill has become a hero and emulated Billy Bingham in the 1980s.

:06:31. > :06:34.It looks like he is here to stay having signed a four-year deal. Like

:06:35. > :06:43.Wales, they have a good core of experienced Premier League players

:06:44. > :06:49.to count on. COMMENTARY: Steven Davis! Newport

:06:50. > :06:55.County fans will recognise the new face in the squad, Conor Washington.

:06:56. > :07:02.Interesting, Michael O'Neill pipped Chris Coleman to be the BBC Sports

:07:03. > :07:06.Personality of the Year Coach of the Year award in December. The thing

:07:07. > :07:10.with Northern Ireland, they are hard to beat? They are. He has done a

:07:11. > :07:15.terrific job. They have a real strong spine to the team,

:07:16. > :07:20.experienced centre halves, with Steven Davis in the middle. They are

:07:21. > :07:25.resilient. Have you been impressed with Conor Washington? I have, what

:07:26. > :07:28.I have seen of him. He's hit the ground running and made a big

:07:29. > :07:35.impression. They will be looking to him for big things. Kyle Lafferty is

:07:36. > :07:44.another one who will be so important to them. OK. We will join our

:07:45. > :07:52.commentators. We are almost there. We are about to kick-off.

:07:53. > :07:58.It is exciting times, not just for the players, but the whole nation as

:07:59. > :08:06.well. It is important we work on what we look to do in France.

:08:07. > :08:18.COMMENTARY: Ashley Williams, the Wales captain, takes a last sip of

:08:19. > :08:21.water before Wales and Northern Ireland emerge from their

:08:22. > :08:28.international hibernation over the winter, with so much to look forward

:08:29. > :08:34.to. All eyes, of course, on the Euro 2016 finals in Europe. The referee

:08:35. > :08:40.is Steven McLean. He will wait for all the signals and start the march

:08:41. > :08:46.on to the pitch at the Cardiff City Stadium. Wales, just a few months

:08:47. > :08:50.ago, ensured qualification here for France.

:08:51. > :09:10.This is a farewell to the home fans for this Welsh side. They are

:09:11. > :09:14.playing a Northern Ireland side, who also made the Euros, their first

:09:15. > :09:33.major tournament finals for 30 years.

:09:34. > :09:43.We are about to have the anthems, as Wales manager Chris Coleman makes

:09:44. > :09:47.his way along with the rest of the Welsh coaching side. We start with

:09:48. > :09:50.the Northern Ireland National Anthem.

:09:51. > :11:02.# Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,

:11:03. > :11:10.# Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;

:11:11. > :11:19.# Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwlad garwyr tra mad,

:11:20. > :11:34.# Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed Gwlad, gwlad,

:11:35. > :11:45.# Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad, Tra mor yn fur

:11:46. > :12:01.# I'r bur hoff bau, O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau. #

:12:02. > :12:20.A hug for the two managers, Chris Coleman and Michael O'Neill. Their

:12:21. > :12:26.paths have been similar over the last few years. And both at the

:12:27. > :12:30.height of their managerial powers having led their sides to the

:12:31. > :12:49.long-awaited Euro 2016 finals. George Williams, a big night for

:12:50. > :12:55.him, one of those players who is looking to impress and maybe make

:12:56. > :13:01.the cut in Chris Coleman's final 23. How different will the team against

:13:02. > :13:13.Slovakia look on the opening day of the Euros to that that has just

:13:14. > :13:17.lined up for the team photo? The two captains, Steven Davis and Ashley

:13:18. > :13:24.Williams, are just tossing the coin. There will be a minute's silence

:13:25. > :13:32.following the tragedy in Brussels earlier this week. So, the two sides

:13:33. > :13:41.will line up around the centre circle. Events this week, which

:13:42. > :13:49.really put football into perspective, and something which all

:13:50. > :13:58.the players and both managers talked about.

:13:59. > :14:03.The two teams gather around the centre circle, which has a Belgian

:14:04. > :15:22.flag in the middle of it. Wonderfully observed tribute to

:15:23. > :15:34.those who lost their lives in the Belgian capital this week.

:15:35. > :15:44.Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey head a list of formidable absentees for

:15:45. > :15:51.Wales. Adam Matthews makes his first appearance since 2013. George

:15:52. > :15:56.Williams makes his second start. Northern Ireland arrive on an

:15:57. > :16:04.eight-game unbeaten run, but they have lost West Brom defender Chris

:16:05. > :16:08.Brunt with injury. Paddy McNair is recalled to sit in front of the back

:16:09. > :16:11.three. There is a debut, of course, for former Newport County striker,

:16:12. > :16:24.Conor Washington. Burnley centre forward Sam Vokes is

:16:25. > :16:28.the man in form with ten goals in his last 14 games for the

:16:29. > :16:30.Championship leaders, with Hal Robson-Kanu absent, it's a big

:16:31. > :16:35.opportunity for him to stake his claim. George Williams, highly-rated

:16:36. > :16:39.by the Welsh coaching staff, has been beset by injuries, now he is

:16:40. > :16:46.playing for Gillingham on loan from Fulham. Kyle Lafferty has been the

:16:47. > :16:49.talisman for Northern Ireland's journey to France. Like Gareth Bale,

:16:50. > :16:54.has scored seven goals in the qualifiers. Today, he's moved on

:16:55. > :17:00.loan to Birmingham City. What a night for Conor Washington, from the

:17:01. > :17:07.ninth tier of English football to the brink of the Euros. The referee

:17:08. > :17:12.is Steven McLean from Scotland. Wales kick-off with just 78 days to

:17:13. > :17:22.go to the start of Euro 2016 in France. 2015 a year to cherish for

:17:23. > :17:30.both of these sides. 2016 could be really special? And these next three

:17:31. > :17:34.games, this one tonight, Ukraine on Monday, and the final one in Sweden

:17:35. > :17:37.before we go to France, they will all be vitally important in

:17:38. > :17:41.preparation for going to the European Championships. It is a good

:17:42. > :17:45.opportunity for some of these players tonight, the likes of Adam

:17:46. > :17:48.Matthews, George Williams, David Cotterill, Tom Lawrence, who aren't

:17:49. > :17:51.guaranteed a place on the plane, they could do themselves a world of

:17:52. > :17:54.good with a good performance here tonight. First chance for Williams.

:17:55. > :18:04.Good cross, too. That is a great ball. One thing in

:18:05. > :18:08.his mind straightaway, as soon as he receives that ball, just put it into

:18:09. > :18:12.an area, across that six-yard box. The goalkeeper can't come. Sadly,

:18:13. > :18:15.big Sam Vokes had made the run to the near post. Had he got to the

:18:16. > :18:17.back stick, he might have got a tap-in. A great cross in by George

:18:18. > :18:28.Williams. No Bale, no Ramsey, no Collins, no

:18:29. > :18:34.Dummett. Chris Coleman said this would be a feisty British derby. You

:18:35. > :18:39.wouldn't expect anything else, would you? They are a really competitive

:18:40. > :18:44.side under Michael O'Neill. It is a change of shape for us tonight. I

:18:45. > :18:51.thought Chris might go with four at the back. I fully expect when we do

:18:52. > :18:54.play Slovakia on June 11th, we will go to a natural three or five,

:18:55. > :19:05.whatever you want to call it. You have to have a plan b. This is the

:19:06. > :19:16.Reading player, Gunter - good cross. Vokes went in. And it's put behind

:19:17. > :19:20.by Paddy McNair. It is a goal kick. The second cross from this

:19:21. > :19:24.right-hand side. A peach of a cross from Chris Gunter. Good defending by

:19:25. > :19:29.Paddy McNair. It looks as if it was Sam Vokes who the ball came off

:19:30. > :19:33.last. Two great crosses from this right-hand side. A sign of things to

:19:34. > :19:43.come, hopefully. Northern Ireland finished top of

:19:44. > :19:48.their group in the Euros, finishing ahead of Romania and Hungary. They

:19:49. > :19:54.are on an eight-match unbeaten run, so they are a side in form. I don't

:19:55. > :19:58.think George Williams will get away with that nudge on Jonny Evans.

:19:59. > :20:01.Especially half a yard from the linesman, Rob!

:20:02. > :20:11.There's Chris Coleman. He's negotiating a new contract at the

:20:12. > :20:16.moment. Wants it done by the start of the Euros. He says it won't

:20:17. > :20:20.affect his side even if it is not done. You don't want any

:20:21. > :20:24.distractions, when there is a question mark over the manager's

:20:25. > :20:28.future. Is he going to move on after we finish in France? Hopefully, he

:20:29. > :20:32.will stay on and lead us to the World Cup qualifying campaign. The

:20:33. > :20:40.players really enjoy playing for him. He's got the best out of them.

:20:41. > :20:47.What he's achieved in this European campaign has been unbelievable.

:20:48. > :20:50.We expect to see plenty of substitutions, at least from Wales

:20:51. > :21:07.tonight. Ledley - the beard is coming on a

:21:08. > :21:14.treat! I have beard envy. Adam Matthews back in the Wales set-up,

:21:15. > :21:17.first start since Serbia in 2013. On loan at Bristol City at the moment

:21:18. > :21:25.from Sunderland. It's a dream chance for Adam

:21:26. > :21:29.tonight. He's been out of the scene, he's had problems with injury. I do

:21:30. > :21:33.feel for him tonight because he's playing on the left-hand side. It is

:21:34. > :21:39.not natural to him. He would much prefer playing at right-back. He

:21:40. > :21:42.knows he's got an opportunity to shine for Chris and show that he is

:21:43. > :21:53.more than capable of playing on that left-hand side.

:21:54. > :21:59.Big Sam has to do better there for me. He has to sort his feet out

:22:00. > :22:06.quicker. Not the best first touch. The ball was stolen in the end by

:22:07. > :22:15.Craig Cathcart. A big night for Tom Lawrence as well. He's lost his way

:22:16. > :22:20.a little bit. His career hasn't really started on loan at Cardiff,

:22:21. > :22:25.hasn't scored yet. Another opportunity for him. Evans, the

:22:26. > :22:29.captain, clips the ball forward looking for Lafferty. That will be a

:22:30. > :22:34.key battle against Ashley Williams. Matthews picks it up for Wales. He

:22:35. > :22:38.will relish that, Ashley Williams. He will much prefer playing against

:22:39. > :22:42.someone like Lafferty, who is strong, good upper body strength,

:22:43. > :23:59.good in the air, rather than a whippet up front.

:24:00. > :24:03.Their top scorer is quite physical as well. Kyle Lafferty, 16 goals for

:24:04. > :24:12.him. You backs into Evans as Evans

:24:13. > :24:31.Johnson little too early. I think Cotterill and George

:24:32. > :24:36.Williams, they could have quite a lot... Because the way Northern

:24:37. > :24:44.Ireland are playing, two backs who will get forward. As Michael O'Neill

:24:45. > :24:49.says, they don't have an X factor player like Gareth Bale. They are

:24:50. > :24:55.hard-working and organised. They have got good discipline and they

:24:56. > :24:59.will give their manager everything. They won the group and it was not an

:25:00. > :25:12.easy group. They were Romania and Finland in there.

:25:13. > :25:19.We may see Danny Ward, the Liverpool keeper. I thought he might have

:25:20. > :25:26.started in this game. Maybe he will start on Monday night in Kiev.

:25:27. > :25:27.Against the Netherlands, Owain Fon Williams is another keeper vying for

:25:28. > :25:39.a place. Manchester United's McNair. Lafferty

:25:40. > :26:02.just misses the cross. James Chester will want to impress

:26:03. > :26:07.the West Bromwich Albion defender. He was not looking when Hennessey

:26:08. > :26:11.passed him that ball. I don't know why Wayne is passing the ball to

:26:12. > :26:15.Chester. There is not too much Chester can do except go back to the

:26:16. > :26:19.goalkeeper. Don't overcomplicate things and try to be too clever,

:26:20. > :26:28.especially in the opening ten minutes of the game. You are plenty

:26:29. > :26:32.of time for that. 65th cap the Chris Gunter tonight. -- for Chris Gunter

:26:33. > :26:50.tonight. A little flick on, well read by

:26:51. > :26:56.Gareth McAuley. A good, deep run from Ledley. Could not bring him

:26:57. > :27:02.down, had to try to help it on. At a really good run. -- at a really good

:27:03. > :27:15.run. Kyle Lafferty and Ashley Williams

:27:16. > :27:28.may see plenty of each other tonight. Davies, the captain, going

:27:29. > :27:40.short again. In touching sight of McNair. Dante cleared. Picked out

:27:41. > :27:48.George Williams. -- Gunter cleared. Matthews has seen plenty of

:27:49. > :28:04.possession in the opening XI minutes or so.

:28:05. > :28:12.James Chester has taken a while to settle at West Brom but now he's

:28:13. > :28:21.getting games regularly. He has found it hard, with Younus Olson,

:28:22. > :28:25.who had formed a formidable partnership. We know what he brings

:28:26. > :28:31.to the table when he plays with Wales. But it is a big performance

:28:32. > :28:31.to the table when he plays with because the way James Collins has

:28:32. > :29:17.been performing They are really well organised,

:29:18. > :30:47.Northern Ireland. They are really well organised,

:30:48. > :30:52.last couple of days when Chris would have made his mind up through the

:30:53. > :31:04.starting XI would be. That is a great ball, nearly. Spotted the run

:31:05. > :31:11.of Lawrence. Very quiet in the first few minutes, Tom Lawrence, hardly

:31:12. > :31:16.had a kick. I think to catch the eye of Chris Coleman is one of the

:31:17. > :31:20.reasons why he arrived at the Cardiff City Stadium. That is

:31:21. > :31:30.Michael O'Neill, what a great job he has done, rewarded by a new four

:31:31. > :31:32.year contract. By the Irish FA. Neither keeper really forced to make

:31:33. > :31:50.a save in anger. Cathcart apologising for the

:31:51. > :31:54.mistake. Whales go to the Ukraine on Monday night. You can see it on BBC

:31:55. > :32:06.Two Wales. Northern Ireland are home to

:32:07. > :32:14.Slovenia. They have more friendlies than Wales, Chris Coleman doesn't

:32:15. > :32:18.like them to because friendlies. Wales, after these two games, they

:32:19. > :32:24.have Sweden at the start of June and then they fly directly into their

:32:25. > :32:34.base in France, ready for the opener against Slovakia. June 11th. It

:32:35. > :32:43.Slovakia's last warm up game will be against Northern Ireland.

:32:44. > :32:51.Space on that left side for Matthews. Good run through by

:32:52. > :32:55.Ledley. Maybe he should have shot, he was looking inside for Tom

:32:56. > :33:01.Lawrence. He could definitely have taken the shot on. It is on his left

:33:02. > :33:05.foot and once again he timed his run to perfection. The weight of the

:33:06. > :33:10.pass was there for it to be hit first time but for some reason, he

:33:11. > :33:14.slotted it back. That was a really good opportunity for Joe Ledley,

:33:15. > :33:22.just put your left foot through that ball and the weight on the path was

:33:23. > :33:26.perfect for him. -- pass. Joe Ledley scored in the last game against the

:33:27. > :33:30.Netherlands. You can see what he was trying to do but I don't think he

:33:31. > :33:34.was aware there was space in front. That is when you need to shout from

:33:35. > :33:40.one of your team-mates that you do have the time and space to take the

:33:41. > :33:45.shot on. Norwood with the corner for Northern Ireland. Chester head it

:33:46. > :33:55.out. It comes to Norwood again, a good cross back in. Matthews was

:33:56. > :34:03.brave. Really good header. Brave as a lion as you say, he was going to

:34:04. > :34:05.get clattered by Craig Cathcart. Little chat between the two West

:34:06. > :34:23.Brom colleagues. Davies has chased it back to halfway

:34:24. > :34:34.and beyond. George Williams is here. McGovern clears. Great pressure on

:34:35. > :34:37.George Williams. Taking a quick throw was not a bad idea either.

:34:38. > :34:52.Evans read it. Wales have had most of the

:34:53. > :34:56.possession but Northern Ireland have had the corners. Norwood looks up

:34:57. > :35:12.from the run of Washington. Good defensive header once again by

:35:13. > :35:15.Chester, the pressure from Washington. 30 might have gone back

:35:16. > :35:23.to the goalkeeper but maybe that was a bit too risky for him. James

:35:24. > :35:29.Collins not here tonight, with injury. He has done so well since he

:35:30. > :35:33.joined up with the squad of Chris Coleman and committed to Wales. He

:35:34. > :35:37.cannot rest on the laurels of his performances up to now. We have

:35:38. > :35:42.spoken about the performances of James Collins for West Ham this

:35:43. > :35:45.season, a big part of why the Hammers are flying in the Premier

:35:46. > :35:50.League. Good opportunity to finish in the top four.

:35:51. > :36:01.A lovely run by David ward and Lawrence is up ahead. They get the

:36:02. > :36:08.free kick. McAuley does not look happy but the referee -- with the

:36:09. > :36:12.referee, Steven MacLean. Intelligent play by Tom Lawrence. He knows

:36:13. > :36:17.McAuley is coming to close him down and he plays the ball around the

:36:18. > :36:21.corner. But it is a clear free kick in the end and I am not too sure

:36:22. > :36:27.what Gareth McAuley was arguing about. Vastly experienced, can have

:36:28. > :36:35.no complaints about that. First signs... This is where you really

:36:36. > :36:43.would want Gareth Bale but up steps... Sadly, he is not here. Up

:36:44. > :36:54.steps David Wiese George Best four. How ironic it would be if he was to

:36:55. > :37:06.score here. -- Cotterill. I cannot see David Cotterill shooting from

:37:07. > :37:10.her. -- here. Cotterill hits it low. Forcing the save. All you can do is

:37:11. > :37:16.work the goalkeeper with a free kick like that. Plenty of power in it and

:37:17. > :37:20.making it awkward for McGovern. It bounces right in front of him and

:37:21. > :37:26.the goalkeeper does well. Two gross players on that back post. Waiting

:37:27. > :37:30.for a tap in. He is taking Wales's first corner. Chester and Williams

:37:31. > :37:46.are there in the back. Sam Vokes moves. Bodies everywhere.

:37:47. > :37:53.Williams might have been the normal target. Williams music back for

:37:54. > :38:01.Cotterill to cross. -- Williams moves it back. I think that was a

:38:02. > :38:06.shot as well. You cannot blame him, it all opened out for him and as a

:38:07. > :38:10.forward, you have to try to score at that back post. If Younis, maybe you

:38:11. > :38:17.have someone coming in but he gets too much on it. Maybe it was the

:38:18. > :38:30.wrong option and across would have been better. David Cotterill, hoping

:38:31. > :38:38.Birmingham City's play-off chasing form will help him make Chris

:38:39. > :38:47.Coleman's 23. It is a big chance for him tonight. Dallas comes forward. A

:38:48. > :38:54.good run. He overhit that although Lafferty will pick it up. Shadowed

:38:55. > :39:04.by Matthews. They get another chance, Kyle Lafferty. Good pressure

:39:05. > :39:11.by Wales. Dallas has to chase it, lovely backheel for Evans to cross

:39:12. > :39:17.first time, again, Chester is there. Bit of Northern Ireland pressure

:39:18. > :39:22.now. Paddy McNair's shot. That would have been some strike from that

:39:23. > :39:30.distance. Especially when you have David Cotterill closing you down as

:39:31. > :39:43.well. A bit ambitious? Yes. Six caps for Paddy McNair tonight. Wayne

:39:44. > :39:48.Hennessey directs operations. Not sure whether he meant that. I think

:39:49. > :39:53.you did, he had spotted Adam Matthews on the left-hand side. In

:39:54. > :39:58.the opening 20 minutes, they have done well, Matthews on the left-hand

:39:59. > :40:01.side. An unfamiliar role for him but he has got forward on every

:40:02. > :40:04.opportunity, his passing has been good. Ledley forcing Hennessey to

:40:05. > :40:15.clear long. A round of applause from the

:40:16. > :40:40.manager. Sam Vokes may feel that Wales will

:40:41. > :40:44.get more joy if they play it quickly rather than in the air against the

:40:45. > :40:49.three centre-backs of Northern Ireland. They will be happy with

:40:50. > :40:53.Cathcart, Evans and McAuley, if that ball comes long from the back and

:40:54. > :40:57.everything is in front of them, more than happy with that. Played down

:40:58. > :41:09.the side. David Vaughan did the necessary. Does he go to France?

:41:10. > :41:16.Just at the minute, for me, just. Experienced, some people might think

:41:17. > :41:20.there is a question about him. Hoping David Edwards can get himself

:41:21. > :41:28.fully fit. Some good options. There really are. When you think you have

:41:29. > :41:35.a squad at 23, three of those are goalkeepers and you can only take 20

:41:36. > :41:41.outfield players. David Edwards I am sure will buy you a copy after the

:41:42. > :41:45.game! I just think he deserves to play from his performances in the

:41:46. > :41:55.qualifying games. You might have to carry the Trego! -- tray though.

:41:56. > :42:01.Chester has seen plenty of the ball in the goalless opening 25 minutes.

:42:02. > :42:04.Really, Michael McGovern, the only goalkeeper to have to make a proper

:42:05. > :42:22.save. If we could change play quickly from

:42:23. > :42:26.left-to-right and from right-to-left, I think we could get

:42:27. > :42:32.Adam Matthews and Chris Gunter in all night long. Chris Coleman has

:42:33. > :42:38.played three centre-backs and two wingbacks. I think that his is

:42:39. > :42:46.favoured formation. That is what he will start with I think. They will

:42:47. > :42:54.look really solid when playing that formation. Strong play by the centre

:42:55. > :42:58.forward, allowing Cotterill to try to make progress. And he does so and

:42:59. > :43:05.he wins a corner which it will take I am sure. Did well in the end,

:43:06. > :43:09.David Cotterill, running down an alley on the left-hand side, closed

:43:10. > :43:20.down by two men with no support. Cleverly in the end displayed the

:43:21. > :43:25.ball off Craig Cathcart. Chester, Williams, Sam Vokes, they are the

:43:26. > :43:31.tall players in the area for Wales. After all flights the corner and

:43:32. > :43:42.Ledley got up high. Battles for it again. You can see what Vaughan was

:43:43. > :43:48.trying to do. Evans, up to Lafferty and Cotterill steps in, great

:43:49. > :43:55.awareness by him. He put that cross in for Ledley. He showed the energy

:43:56. > :43:59.to get himself back and Northern Ireland have a look that they will

:44:00. > :44:04.counterattack. Pressure from Kyle Lafferty and he mixed the ball off

:44:05. > :44:08.him. Slightly sloppy pass to Sam Vokes and the possession goes

:44:09. > :44:16.straight to Northern Ireland. They have scored more goals in the

:44:17. > :44:21.European qualifiers than Wales did. They are a confident site, eight

:44:22. > :44:25.games unbeaten. I think they won three of their five away games as

:44:26. > :44:29.well before losing away to Romania in their campaign. It shows they are

:44:30. > :44:34.comfortable on the road. They have got a game plan and it works. They

:44:35. > :44:58.are confident with that game plan. Backheel by Washington.

:44:59. > :45:05.Davis is really busy in that engine room and again, Norwood looks to be

:45:06. > :45:17.playing McLaughlin, this time into the feet of Washington. Forcing

:45:18. > :45:25.Hennessey to react quickly. They ride look back at Conor Washington.

:45:26. > :45:32.Conor Washington a little bit late, I think his right foot just catches

:45:33. > :45:43.Wayne Hennessey, not intentional, I don't think. He has never so well,

:45:44. > :45:47.since leaving Newport. Did really well at Peterborough. Scored goals

:45:48. > :45:51.for them and then a big-money move to QPR. Found it slightly harder

:45:52. > :45:56.finding the back of the net in the Championship than he did in the

:45:57. > :46:07.lower leagues. But full credit to him. There were a few parties among

:46:08. > :46:16.the Newport County directors and supporters with his big move from

:46:17. > :46:31.QPR -- to QPR from Peterborough. What was the figure in the end?

:46:32. > :46:47.Chester skips past two and runs into trouble and Davies sends Washington

:46:48. > :46:52.towards the penalty area. Well done. James Chester did well. Initially

:46:53. > :46:56.beats a couple of players but then has a heavy touch and loses

:46:57. > :47:03.possession and then he is out of position. David Vaughan spotted the

:47:04. > :47:08.danger. A combination of Chris Gunter and David Vaughan stopped

:47:09. > :47:22.Washington from maybe getting his first shot on target.

:47:23. > :47:30.Matthew is looking for a Sam Vokes, just beyond Williams beyond the far

:47:31. > :47:34.post. He was looking for big Sam in that penalty box but Sam Vokes is

:47:35. > :47:42.standing still and being picked up. No chance of winning that ball. It

:47:43. > :47:52.is good experienced defending by McAuley in the end. Might be a bit

:47:53. > :47:58.too much, to be fair to big Sam. I have been impressed, every time

:47:59. > :48:01.either George Williams, Cotterill, Adam Matthews down the left, any

:48:02. > :48:05.time they have had an opportunity to put that all in, they have put it in

:48:06. > :48:37.and not thought about it twice. The captain finds Cotterill. Patient

:48:38. > :48:47.play by Wales. This is what Chris Coleman has brought to the side.

:48:48. > :49:02.They try and work space. Lawrence is making a good run.

:49:03. > :49:13.They made rather a hash of that. Washington, a little nudge on Ashley

:49:14. > :49:20.Williams. We could see that from up here. Part two of the warm-ups for

:49:21. > :49:27.Wales over Easter happens on Monday night, from Kiev, 6:45pm on BBC Two

:49:28. > :49:32.Wales, that'll be a tough encounter for Chris Coleman's side. I think he

:49:33. > :49:39.will make a few changes as well, the likes of Ben Davies, Neil Taylor,

:49:40. > :49:43.likely to feature in that. It will be a change of style and formation

:49:44. > :49:48.for that game as well. They will probably go back to five at the

:49:49. > :49:55.back, what we are used to. Never easy, going to Kiev, always a top

:49:56. > :49:56.place to go. I'd been there myself on a couple of occasions and have

:49:57. > :50:09.come back empty-handed. That is the last time Wales player

:50:10. > :50:14.will have the chance to impress in a Welsh shirt before Chris has to make

:50:15. > :50:20.his decision on the squad to take to France. We do look really

:50:21. > :50:24.comfortable. That is the kiss of death there! We have looked

:50:25. > :50:29.comfortable, passing the ball well but I would like to see the passing

:50:30. > :50:33.slightly quicker, a bit higher tempo, a bit quicker. Northern

:50:34. > :50:41.Ireland are quite happy dropping back in their numbers, slotting the

:50:42. > :50:48.ball in until it gets to Sam Vokes's beat. Wales are 17th in the world,

:50:49. > :51:13.Northern Ireland 28th. Jonny Evans quizzing the referee.

:51:14. > :51:16.Now trying to switch plate in awful lot, against a very well-organised

:51:17. > :51:22.Northern Ireland team. Michael O'Neill last night said team is

:51:23. > :51:27.everything, Steven Davies, the captain, emphasising that as well. I

:51:28. > :51:33.think if they do that a couple of seconds quicker, then they could get

:51:34. > :51:46.Chris Gunter and Adam Matthews in. Davies. Cotterill is dutiful with

:51:47. > :51:52.his defensive duties. Cathcart is up as well. The Watford player.

:51:53. > :51:58.Lafferty, just as well he was nowhere near that. A comfortable one

:51:59. > :52:06.for Wayne as well, he should be dealing with that.

:52:07. > :52:15.Cotterill is wide if Ledley wants it, makes a run inside. Hits it to

:52:16. > :52:19.George Williams. He dribbles through but stopped by McNair, that

:52:20. > :52:31.defensive shield in front of the three centre-backs.

:52:32. > :52:40.The last ten minutes of the first half, Chris Coleman and Michael

:52:41. > :52:50.O'Neill... Sam Vokes strong. Lawrence now. George Williams wide

:52:51. > :52:55.again. Williams may shoot but it takes a deflection, up for a corner.

:52:56. > :53:01.Really well worked, on the right-hand side, a really good,

:53:02. > :53:05.positive run. By Lawrence. An opportunity for Joe Ledley to get a

:53:06. > :53:13.shot from about 25 yards. He turned it down once again. Cut inside, one

:53:14. > :53:19.thing in his might, can I get a shot on goal? It is an goal but it comes

:53:20. > :53:28.off Cathcart in the end. Cotterill with the corner again. Sam Vokes

:53:29. > :53:31.with the header. Just wide. Could not quite get enough on it, Sam

:53:32. > :53:44.Vokes, a good ball in. Tom Lawrence is running away from

:53:45. > :53:49.the six yard box. He might have scored his first goal for Wales had

:53:50. > :53:57.that -- had he gone in. Six goals for Wales, the last one was in a

:53:58. > :54:01.friendly against Iceland here. Rather overshadowed by the goal of

:54:02. > :54:08.Gareth Bale as I recall. He looks like he has got his confidence back.

:54:09. > :54:17.He looks like he has got over that mentally and physically. A long time

:54:18. > :54:26.out with injury. It does take time to get back into the swing but of

:54:27. > :54:32.course it is helped by... Everything is going through your head, have I

:54:33. > :54:40.done enough? But until you have that first real test, challenge or locked

:54:41. > :54:46.tackle or whatever you want to do to test that knee, you still have the

:54:47. > :54:51.slightest doubt in your mind. Of course, it could be a fantastic end

:54:52. > :54:56.of the season for him with burly vying for a Premier League place

:54:57. > :55:03.next season. Ledley has made the run again. Steven Davies is busy. He

:55:04. > :55:14.gets everywhere. That is the thing when you have got every right back.

:55:15. > :55:18.Matthews has done well. Try to threaded through but the time he has

:55:19. > :55:25.pulled the ball onto his right foot, Davies has just got back there.

:55:26. > :55:36.Again, under pressure from Sam Vokes. Chester should deal with

:55:37. > :56:03.Norwood. Powers it across. Williams Hennessey.

:56:04. > :56:14.Norwood. Powers it across. Williams deals with it. Again, good work by

:56:15. > :56:20.George Williams. No hard feelings on the challenge either. George

:56:21. > :56:28.Williams just moves it quickly. He sees the challenge coming in from

:56:29. > :56:32.Norwood, rides it a little bit. On another night, we might have seen a

:56:33. > :56:37.yellow card, had it been a more defensive game. He was out for a

:56:38. > :56:42.long time with an anterior cruciate ligament, George Williams. He is

:56:43. > :56:48.only 29. Every time he has come on as a substitute for Wales, has

:56:49. > :56:48.really impressed me. His positivity, his strong, forward running,

:56:49. > :58:39.carrying the his strong, forward running,

:58:40. > :58:43.Good pace on that ball in. Jumps higher than anybody, times his run.

:58:44. > :58:55.Times his jump. Just can't quite control the header. Made his debut

:58:56. > :59:01.against the Netherlands in the summer of 2014. He will tell you all

:59:02. > :59:04.about the benefits of playing in friendlies or warm-up games, there

:59:05. > :59:10.is no such thing as a non-competitive game as far as he is

:59:11. > :59:15.concerned. He has really blossomed since making his bow in Amsterdam.

:59:16. > :59:39.Over the past 12 or 18 months, this is where we have found it hard,

:59:40. > :59:47.where we have had plenty of possession and we have to break a

:59:48. > :59:52.team down. We are better when we are the ones defending in numbers...

:59:53. > :59:57.Nice control by Washington! He doesn't lack confidence. Full of

:59:58. > :00:02.confidence then. Brought the ball down superbly. Maybe had a better

:00:03. > :00:07.option in Conor McLaughlin, who had made a good run down the right-wing

:00:08. > :00:12.for Northern Ireland. But when you are a goalscorer, from 20 yards,

:00:13. > :00:18.everything opens up for you, you are always going to have a pot at goal.

:00:19. > :00:21.A great chance for him, tonight, who would have thought, a man who has

:00:22. > :00:24.never set foot in Northern Ireland, could be playing for them in the

:00:25. > :00:50.Euros in the summer. What will Chris Coleman be thinking

:00:51. > :00:56.about at half-time? He will want a bit more guile in that final third.

:00:57. > :01:00.A bit better movement by the likes of Williams, Lawrence, even Sam

:01:01. > :01:04.Vokes. At the minute, everything has been in front of the back five for

:01:05. > :01:15.Northern Ireland. They are coping well. We have looked dangerous at

:01:16. > :01:18.times, but we haven't... We have tested Michael McGovern once in the

:01:19. > :01:22.first half. There have been some good crosses into the six-yard box.

:01:23. > :01:26.It might be an evening where we will have to be patient until we get the

:01:27. > :01:32.opening that we need. Talk about missing Gareth Bale. It is games

:01:33. > :01:36.like this where you miss the guile of Aaron Ramsey. He can unlock doors

:01:37. > :01:41.for you. He can create something out of nothing. He can see an opening.

:01:42. > :01:45.No disrespect to the players on the pitch, they haven't quite got that

:01:46. > :01:54.vision or that ability that Aaron has. The last few seconds of the

:01:55. > :01:59.first half. This could be the last chance for Wales to make the

:02:00. > :02:09.breakthrough. They go square rather than knock it forward.

:02:10. > :02:18.And the half-time whistle goes. Goalless. Chris Coleman will surely

:02:19. > :02:25.be thinking of some changes during the interval. Sam Vokes had a header

:02:26. > :02:31.go wide. George Williams has also threatened and looked lively

:02:32. > :02:35.throughout. David Cotterill forced the one meaningful save from Michael

:02:36. > :02:39.McGovern. At half-time, we are still waiting for the first goal at the

:02:40. > :02:45.Cardiff City Stadium, it is Wales 0, Northern Ireland 0.

:02:46. > :02:53.STUDIO: It will get better! When we get to France! It's not been a

:02:54. > :02:59.classic in any way, shape or form. It's been a long old season and a

:03:00. > :03:03.lot of these players are think k about returning to their clubs and

:03:04. > :03:07.staying injury-free as well, with such a major tournament coming up.

:03:08. > :03:11.David Cotterill, excellent for Wales once again.

:03:12. > :03:21.Not much for the fans here to cheer about. Wales perhaps - you have to

:03:22. > :03:26.say, Kit, Wales were the better side? Chris will be pleased with

:03:27. > :03:31.that. Tough conditions out there. It was a bit scrappy. We have dominated

:03:32. > :03:35.possession. And had the better of the chances. Looked really solid in

:03:36. > :03:39.a different formation. There is a lot of positives without it being a

:03:40. > :03:44.fantastic game. When we have had the ball, we have kept it and looked

:03:45. > :03:48.good with it? The two midfielders, David Vaughan and Joe Ledley have

:03:49. > :03:52.used the ball really well. You want to see more in the attacking third.

:03:53. > :03:57.Hopefully, if we can get the ball wide, you can use Sam Vokes in the

:03:58. > :04:01.box. The conditions are not helping either, the pitch is cutting up. It

:04:02. > :04:05.is. The rain has been torrential throughout. It is very difficult out

:04:06. > :04:08.there for the players. They have made a good fist of it. It has been

:04:09. > :04:13.a competitive game. Northern Ireland have put a few tackles in. It has

:04:14. > :04:16.been fairly feisty. We did say at the beginning that Northern Ireland

:04:17. > :04:19.will be very hard to beat in the European Championships as well.

:04:20. > :04:23.Wales had the better of the opening exchanges? Absolutely. They started

:04:24. > :04:29.very well. We were bright, getting the ball into wide areas, where we

:04:30. > :04:32.looked dangerous. Initially, the first opportunity, we got it

:04:33. > :04:37.central, George Williams makes a great run. Thinks about taking on

:04:38. > :04:41.his full-back, but puts in a fantastic ball. McGovern can't come

:04:42. > :04:45.for it. Again, a switch of play is crucial. When we do it, we look

:04:46. > :04:50.dangerous. Great run from Chris Gunter, another good cross. This

:04:51. > :04:56.time, this is where we want Sam Vokes. It is really good defending

:04:57. > :05:00.from Cathcart. We have seen some nice touches from Tom Lawrence? We

:05:01. > :05:04.did. Took a bit of time to get into the game but when he did, he looked

:05:05. > :05:08.dangerous. George Williams cutting inside and putting in a decent

:05:09. > :05:12.effort. The first cross, that is where Sam Vokes, you need to be.

:05:13. > :05:19.That is where we have seen him for Burnley this season? Definitely.

:05:20. > :05:23.Everyone was a bit cold and no-one took the gamble. I'm sure he will

:05:24. > :05:28.get himself in there again. He does make that run really well. You take

:05:29. > :05:32.the gamble and he decided to go near post. It wasn't there for him. What

:05:33. > :05:36.is also interesting this evening, after 15 minutes, we saw Wales

:05:37. > :05:39.switching play, switching flanks, Chris Coleman getting the message

:05:40. > :05:44.out to the boys that it is OK to have a tinker? That's right. You are

:05:45. > :05:47.playing against their formation with the three centre-backs and the

:05:48. > :05:55.wing-backs, it is switching the play and doing it quickly. It is the

:05:56. > :05:58.positions our full-backs take up. Adam Matthews picking up quite high

:05:59. > :06:04.up the pitch. That was a decent opportunity. Again, we are coming

:06:05. > :06:08.from Gunter right-back, we move the ball quickly. Adam Matthews, a

:06:09. > :06:13.higher position this time. Puts in a decent cross. George Williams

:06:14. > :06:17.couldn't get on the end of it. Dave, some of the crossing tonight from

:06:18. > :06:20.Wales has been of a high quality. We haven't been able to say that for

:06:21. > :06:26.the last couple of seasons? No, we haven't. That is how we are going to

:06:27. > :06:29.score a goal tonight. We have good quality on the wings. David

:06:30. > :06:36.Cotterill's delivery is brilliant. It has been all season. You have to

:06:37. > :06:40.use Sam Vokes' size and power in the air. Joe Ledley has made some good

:06:41. > :06:46.runs as well. He's not been picked up. If the ball gets to him, he will

:06:47. > :06:52.get a chance. There was a fabulous moment in commentary when David

:06:53. > :06:55.Cotterill picked up the ball, he said, "I'll be amazed if he shoots

:06:56. > :07:01.from here!" We are thinking he is going to shoot from here! In these

:07:02. > :07:05.conditions, and he did it very well. He used the wetness on the surface

:07:06. > :07:10.to his advantage. It was a difficult chance. You have worked with George

:07:11. > :07:16.Williams at Fulham. We are talking about a very talented footballer? He

:07:17. > :07:22.is, he has a natural talent and a great enthusiasm for the game. He

:07:23. > :07:27.loves the ball in one v one situations. He put in a great cross.

:07:28. > :07:31.Linking up with Chris Gunter. This is all in the first five minutes. He

:07:32. > :07:35.looked very dangerous. This is what he loves doing, driving at

:07:36. > :07:40.full-backs, he can play either side, likes to cut in on his right foot.

:07:41. > :07:45.As does David Cotterill. He is a bright talent. He is one of the

:07:46. > :07:50.players who wants to show Chris Coleman that he wants to be on that

:07:51. > :07:55.plane? I think so. He's started the game very brightly. He wants to grab

:07:56. > :08:00.it with both hands. He has been a bright spark in this first half. He

:08:01. > :08:09.has tried to take it to them. Good stuff. Let's go pitchside.

:08:10. > :08:14.Still raining here, but Iain, what are you making of that first 45?

:08:15. > :08:18.Both managers will take a lot out of it. If Chris keeps his three wide,

:08:19. > :08:22.he can pose problems for our back five, if you like, or back three.

:08:23. > :08:27.George Williams is very bright. Needs to get Vokes in the game.

:08:28. > :08:33.Paddy McNair has done a good job on Lawrence and Michael O'Neill will be

:08:34. > :08:38.delighted. Conor Washington has looked bright. Both manager also be

:08:39. > :08:44.quite pleased. Chris has a lot younger side. It is quite edgy.

:08:45. > :08:48.Wales have created the better chances. The pitch is not easy to

:08:49. > :08:52.play on. You have done Michael's job before. What do you do now at

:08:53. > :08:57.half-time? Do you go for the win or do you look at the bench? I think if

:08:58. > :09:01.I'm Michael, I would leave it, I wouldn't make too many changes

:09:02. > :09:07.before 70 minutes. He's got another game where he can have another look

:09:08. > :09:13.at some individuals. You want to see Conor Washington, give him the whole

:09:14. > :09:17.game. An opportunity down the side, I would get Lafferty and Conor

:09:18. > :09:20.Washington down the sides of Ashley Williams, which is easier said than

:09:21. > :09:25.done. That would be the benefit for us going on to win the game. Chris

:09:26. > :09:30.Coleman will want George Williams on the ball and try and get Vokes free,

:09:31. > :09:33.who has been excellent all game. We haven't seen enough of Cotterill

:09:34. > :09:37.yet. We will wait and see if we get a goal. We are desperate for one

:09:38. > :09:41.here. Thank you. STUDIO: These are the sort of

:09:42. > :09:44.conditions he would have loved. He's been listening to Kit there talking

:09:45. > :09:46.about how good George Williams has been. Very busy couple of days for

:09:47. > :10:02.us on BBC Wales. From fresh from beating Munster, the

:10:03. > :10:13.Blues are targeting another win as Treviso come to the Cardiff Arms

:10:14. > :10:25.Park. The World Half Marathon rolls into the city. On Sunday, we have

:10:26. > :10:34.Dragons versus Edinburgh. For all the Pro 12 highlights, tune in Scrum

:10:35. > :10:42.V. If you want to have your say, straight after the match, there is a

:10:43. > :10:47.simulcast, the Euro 2016 phone-in. You can have your say. Ukraine

:10:48. > :10:50.versus Wales is live on Easter Monday. Let's bring you up-to-date

:10:51. > :10:53.with some of the other scores this evening. Some big matches around

:10:54. > :11:29.Europe tonight. A very sad day for the football

:11:30. > :11:38.family today following the death of Johan Cruyff, the Netherlands legend

:11:39. > :11:48.who has died at the age of 68. COMMENTARY: Cruyff! 2-0! And Brazil

:11:49. > :11:57.on the way out. Cruyff, he must score. He does!

:11:58. > :12:06.One of the greatest footballers of all time. Very sad day for all

:12:07. > :12:09.football fans. He's been a tremendous player and a great

:12:10. > :12:12.ambassador for the sport over many years. It is a sad loss. What has

:12:13. > :12:17.been amazing is listening to the tributes on radio and on television

:12:18. > :12:22.over the past couple of hours, not only is he a fantastic football

:12:23. > :12:27.player, and a coach as well, he won the title with Barcelona, but also a

:12:28. > :12:31.great man as well. I have heard various stories about what a great

:12:32. > :12:35.guy he was. He is a real leader, when he played football, when he

:12:36. > :12:38.managed, he's taken that into every aspect of his life. He has tried to

:12:39. > :12:43.make the beautiful game even more beautiful and he's done that since

:12:44. > :12:46.he finished playing. There will be an amazing moment tomorrow. France

:12:47. > :12:51.are playing the Netherlands. They are planning on stopping the match

:12:52. > :12:57.in the 14th minute for a minute's applause because that shirt is

:12:58. > :13:01.synonymous, that number 14, fantastic memories of watching him

:13:02. > :13:04.play? Iconic for Dutch football. It will be an emotional moment tomorrow

:13:05. > :13:12.I'm sure. Something that he deserves. Thank you. Let's talk to

:13:13. > :13:16.you about that commentator's curse. You were saying, "I'll be amazed if

:13:17. > :13:21.David Cotterill shoots from here." You have been doing it for a long

:13:22. > :13:25.time? Dave took it on. All you can do from that distance is work the

:13:26. > :13:30.goalkeeper, which he did. The goalkeeper dealt with it quite well.

:13:31. > :13:37.I think it's one of those nights where we have to be patient, we have

:13:38. > :13:41.shown in the past three years that we do struggle to break teams down

:13:42. > :13:46.when they come here and they get men behind the ball. We are better when

:13:47. > :13:51.we do that to the opposition. But there have been some bright sparks

:13:52. > :13:57.and positivity from that side, especially George Williams. He's

:13:58. > :14:01.been tremendous. Joe Ledley has been strong, making good runs from

:14:02. > :14:04.midfield. We need more from Tom Lawrence. He's got to be a bit

:14:05. > :14:08.cleverer in that middle of the park, getting himself a bit more space.

:14:09. > :14:12.All in all, it has been a good exercise for Chris and his men.

:14:13. > :14:16.Let's look ahead to the summer. You will be there. How excited are you

:14:17. > :14:21.about being in some of these wonderful stadiums in France? I

:14:22. > :14:27.can't wait. It never happened to me as a player. It has been a long

:14:28. > :14:31.time. I have been excited since we qualified. I couldn't wait for the

:14:32. > :14:36.draw in December. I am looking forward to Chris naming his 23-man

:14:37. > :14:40.squad. We are all waiting in anticipation for that. I think the

:14:41. > :14:45.added bonus is we have England in our group. I'm more than confident

:14:46. > :14:48.that we can get out of the group. With this squad, with the

:14:49. > :14:54.togetherness and the spirit that we have got, and the talent, we have

:14:55. > :14:59.got the x factor in Bale and Ramsey. We are more than capable of making

:15:00. > :15:08.the quarterfinal. The boys up here want to know, is that your beard or

:15:09. > :15:14.is that your hood? A bit of both! Thank you very much. Amazing fashion

:15:15. > :15:21.choice! How excited are you about France as well? We understand you

:15:22. > :15:28.will be working for the FA W? I can't wait. It is such a buzz in the

:15:29. > :15:32.country. It will be fantastic. I am looking forward to it. They are

:15:33. > :15:36.handing out free sticker albums here this evening. I never thought I

:15:37. > :15:43.would get my hands on an official sticker album. You have two! That is

:15:44. > :15:47.not true. Technically, not true. I didn't think you would do that live

:15:48. > :15:52.on air! For these fans, they have been through everything and now they

:15:53. > :15:57.are about to enjoy the greatest summer they have ever had? The whole

:15:58. > :16:01.nation will be looking forward to it. It is such a huge thing that has

:16:02. > :16:07.not happened for a long time. They will embrace it and they will go

:16:08. > :16:12.there in numbers. Hand on heart, how well do you think Wales will do? I

:16:13. > :16:16.think the first task is to get out of the group. Once we achieve that,

:16:17. > :16:22.which I am sure we will do, take it game by game. We have the x factor

:16:23. > :16:27.in Bale and Ramsey, we have the great togetherness of the squad. I

:16:28. > :16:34.have been inside the camp. It is a good, strong place to be. Thank you

:16:35. > :16:36.very much. We will go back to our commentators very shortly. Can Wales

:16:37. > :17:10.get a goal this second half? COMMENTARY: The start of the second

:17:11. > :17:22.half hails the changes. Two for Wales, a comeback and a debut. A

:17:23. > :17:25.huge night for Danny Ward, the Liverpool goalkeeper going off for

:17:26. > :17:29.Wales, and Conor Washington's debut is over for Northern Ireland.

:17:30. > :17:34.There's Danny Ward, his debut, he's been on loan at Aberdeen this

:17:35. > :17:43.season, returned to Liverpool, to vie for that top place with Simon

:17:44. > :17:46.Mignolet, and as predicted, Danny Ward becomes the latest debutant

:17:47. > :17:53.capped by Chris Coleman. Conor Washington's debut is over for

:17:54. > :18:00.Northern Ireland. He's been replaced by Jamie Ward of Nottingham Forest.

:18:01. > :18:08.He's probably done enough to impress Michael O'Neill. So, the first half,

:18:09. > :18:15.a clutch of changes for Wales. Many more to come. Andrew Crofts is a

:18:16. > :18:21.player I know very well. He's found it harder since he's moved to

:18:22. > :18:26.Brighton. Full of energy, strong as an ox. Really competitive in that

:18:27. > :18:32.middle of the park. If he's asked to do a job, he will certainly do it.

:18:33. > :18:36.He lacks a bit of quality at times, but he will give you everything. I

:18:37. > :18:40.am looking forward to seeing Danny Ward. I haven't seen him play. I

:18:41. > :18:46.have heard so many good things about him. He had a strong period on loan

:18:47. > :18:50.at Aberdeen. So looking forward to seeing him and I think Chris has

:18:51. > :18:54.given him a half to impress, no point bringing him on with five or

:18:55. > :19:02.ten minutes to go. Give him a decent half. Let him get tested, let him

:19:03. > :19:09.show what he is capable of doing. Out of him and Owain Fon, he is the

:19:10. > :19:12.number two now. Former Wrexham player, of course. Went to Liverpool

:19:13. > :19:17.without playing a first team game for Wrexham. That is how highly

:19:18. > :19:23.Liverpool rated him. Has benefitted hugely from that loan spell at

:19:24. > :19:31.Aberdeen this season. He gets his chance to impress around put

:19:32. > :19:36.pressure on Wayne Hennessey now. There won't be any change of

:19:37. > :19:41.formation and Andrew Crofts will take the Joe Ledley role. I would

:19:42. > :19:48.like to see Tom Lawrence getting closer to Sam Vokes. Big Sam has

:19:49. > :20:00.been isolated. I think Tom at times plays a bit too deep. Ian Rush. A

:20:01. > :20:10.Welsh legend. He might have scored by now. He will be as excited as

:20:11. > :20:17.anyone. Missed out on the World Cup when Wales lost to Romania. The

:20:18. > :20:21.cross comes into the Wales box. Williams has to deal with it. He

:20:22. > :20:25.does that so well. He anticipates where the ball is going to land.

:20:26. > :20:29.Always gets himself in there. Lawrence has a bit of space to

:20:30. > :20:35.attack McLaughlin. Goes on a run. This is what Tom Lawrence does.

:20:36. > :20:41.Gareth McAuley stepped in that time. McAuley is on the ball again. Two

:20:42. > :20:44.West Brom players at the heart of that Northern Ireland defence, Jonny

:20:45. > :20:48.Evans and McAuley. Craig Cathcart from Watford. So they have a Premier

:20:49. > :21:00.League defence have Northern Ireland. Loads of experience as

:21:01. > :21:13.well. Yeah. George Williams. He shined brightly in that first half.

:21:14. > :21:17.Sloppy pass from Crofts as well. It was quite a basic pass, straight

:21:18. > :21:41.into him, but too much on it. A bit tight down this near

:21:42. > :21:46.touchline. A touch for Ward of Nottingham

:21:47. > :22:16.Forest, Jamie Ward. There has been a slight change in

:22:17. > :22:19.Northern Ireland's formation. It looks like they are playing Kyle

:22:20. > :22:25.Lafferty on his own up front with Ward coming on to the right-hand

:22:26. > :22:34.side. Lafferty will get plenty of support from midfield with Davis,

:22:35. > :22:43.McNair... Lafferty has forced the save from Hennessey. Lafferty was

:22:44. > :22:49.smelling his 17th goal for his country after a sharp run by Jamie

:22:50. > :22:54.Ward. Really good tackle, really good run by Ward. Lafferty doesn't

:22:55. > :22:59.really get hold of that shot. Hasn't had a sniff in all honesty up till

:23:00. > :23:02.now. The ball falls kindly to him and he hits the ball into the

:23:03. > :23:07.ground, which takes the pace off the ball. It's a comfortable save for

:23:08. > :23:11.Danny Ward in the end. Adam Matthews had to make a great tackle. There

:23:12. > :23:14.was no room for error with that challenge. Can't mistime that. You

:23:15. > :23:36.are right. This is Ward again. Every time Wales gets possession you

:23:37. > :23:39.see Northern Ireland, they ferry back... They just get back into

:23:40. > :23:54.their own half as quick as they can. They are a really difficult nut to

:23:55. > :24:00.crack. I think we have shown that in the last campaign, with the goals

:24:01. > :24:03.that we - we didn't concede in the ten games - the really tough team we

:24:04. > :24:08.are to breakdown these days. We don't score as many as I would

:24:09. > :24:55.like. When you are

:24:56. > :24:59.think he's found his form once again and all of a sudden, Swansea have

:25:00. > :26:31.put a run together, which has got them out of trouble.

:26:32. > :26:45.Crofts was into strongly for Steven McLean.

:26:46. > :26:51.I think I said Hennessey earlier, it was Danny Ward who made the

:26:52. > :26:55.excellent save from Lafferty, and collects now. That will have made

:26:56. > :27:01.him feel a lot more comfortable. Michael O'Neill will be disappointed

:27:02. > :27:04.with that attack. Jamie Ward down this right-hand side, puts a nice

:27:05. > :27:09.ball into the box, plenty of height on it, but only one player in a

:27:10. > :27:14.white shirt in that Welsh penalty area, Kyle Lafferty. You are not

:27:15. > :27:18.going to score with the one forward in there.

:27:19. > :27:32.Good pressure again by the Birmingham City player.

:27:33. > :28:08.We keep playing backwards. They can't play the killer pass you need.

:28:09. > :28:18.They have looked pretty comfortable, that back three. Everything has been

:28:19. > :28:24.in front of them. McNair is the extra safety policy as well. Doesn't

:28:25. > :28:26.venture too far forward from those back three, does he? Lafferty has

:28:27. > :28:42.pulled wide. Kyle Lafferty finds himself isolated

:28:43. > :28:45.in the Welsh penalty area. He is trying an impossible shot from that

:28:46. > :28:52.left-hand side. Had no support whatsoever. He had to go himself.

:28:53. > :28:59.An impossible angle to score from. Chris Coleman. I wonder whether he

:29:00. > :29:01.is contemplating another change. That looks like the book they rip a

:29:02. > :29:15.sheet of paper out for the subs. I don't think Tom Bradshaw is going

:29:16. > :29:20.to feature. He has been a slight doubt. Chris Coleman was intimating

:29:21. > :29:29.he will probably see more action in Ukraine. You feel this is an ideal

:29:30. > :29:31.sort of opportunity for someone who ask in good goalscoring form. To

:29:32. > :29:53.play alongside Sam Vokes. Not the easiest pitch either, it is

:29:54. > :30:05.raining heavily in Cardiff this afternoon. It has had problems with

:30:06. > :30:06.the Cardiff City hitch. -- pitch. I think he needs to move the ball

:30:07. > :30:24.quicker. Slightly too slow. Looking to switch it again to

:30:25. > :30:38.Matthews. Her they work really hard just to get

:30:39. > :30:43.the past couple of players, to get the ball to the likes of Sam Vokes

:30:44. > :30:47.and Lawrence. Could get any type of service, finally got it to Sam Vokes

:30:48. > :30:54.and all he could do was play it all the way back to Chester.

:30:55. > :31:02.Northern Ireland being really effective. If they go nine unbeaten,

:31:03. > :31:16.it will be the first time in 30 years they have done that.

:31:17. > :31:24.That is a risky ball by David Cockerel. That ball has to travel a

:31:25. > :31:31.long distance out towards Chris Gunter. -- David Cotterill. Matthews

:31:32. > :31:37.got across to concede the first corner of the second half. Northern

:31:38. > :31:42.Ireland's fourth of the game. Just get an extra pass in, give it to

:31:43. > :31:48.James Chester who can have a touch and then slide it out to Chris

:31:49. > :31:55.Gunter. About 700 Northern Ireland fans have made the trip. They are at

:31:56. > :32:02.the right end if Northern Ireland should make a breakthrough here.

:32:03. > :32:12.Work for the debutant Danny Ward to do. It is taken short. Not up bad

:32:13. > :32:20.idea. It is Craig Cathcart. He drives it home and Northern Ireland

:32:21. > :32:25.have the breakthrough. A lovely cross in by Paddy McNair, well

:32:26. > :32:32.worked corner. Northern Ireland have profited and they take the lead.

:32:33. > :32:36.Really good finish, instinctive by Craig Cathcart. He got onto that

:32:37. > :32:41.ball nice and quickly. It is a lovely little corner, we don't

:32:42. > :32:45.really deal with the first cross that has been put in and we get

:32:46. > :32:55.caught in possession and Tom Lawrence reacts to slowly and on

:32:56. > :32:58.comes Craig Cathcart on the half term, on the half volley and there

:32:59. > :33:13.is no chance that will go past it before he died. -- da use of Gothic

:33:14. > :33:26.-- before he dives. It is the second goal for his country.

:33:27. > :33:34.You cannot look at your goalkeeper, especially on this slippery surface.

:33:35. > :33:40.As soon as Cathcart got that ball down, it skidded off the pitch and

:33:41. > :33:45.got past the goalkeeper before he saw it, but it was avoidable.

:33:46. > :33:53.Disappointed, Tom Lawrence will be, that he got beaten to that ball. A

:33:54. > :33:57.real test now. Northern Ireland were hard to break down when the game was

:33:58. > :34:07.0-0, now they have something to defend so here we go. Changes are in

:34:08. > :34:08.the offing for Wales. Johnny Williams takes orders from Chris

:34:09. > :34:53.Coleman. Tom Lawrence makes way. A big night for Lloyd Isgrove and a

:34:54. > :34:58.lot of work for the substitutes to do. I am surprised George Williams

:34:59. > :35:05.have been taken off. He has not done as well as what he did in the first

:35:06. > :35:08.45 minutes but I think still he has been a bright spark, down the

:35:09. > :35:14.right-hand side, looking to make things happen, always been an

:35:15. > :35:18.option, always wanting the ball. Northern Ireland, danger here,

:35:19. > :35:27.having taken the lead, they now have another corner.

:35:28. > :35:34.Norwood, the Reading player, takes it. Heading right in the box as

:35:35. > :35:40.well. Wales got away with that one but you can just see how they made

:35:41. > :35:48.progress, can't you? They have got a way of playing, they have discipline

:35:49. > :35:54.in their performance. Each individual knows his role in the

:35:55. > :36:00.team. When it has brought you the success that you have, you have to

:36:01. > :36:06.stick with it. It winds you games, picks you points up, wins you

:36:07. > :36:10.qualifying campaigns. I know we have got some big hitters out tonight but

:36:11. > :36:16.we have not been good enough going forward up until now we have lacked

:36:17. > :36:21.quality in the final third. Some great balls in the opening few

:36:22. > :36:26.minutes. It has been a frustrating night for Sam Vokes because he has

:36:27. > :36:36.not had... He has not had a chance to impress. He has had to wait

:36:37. > :36:40.patiently. Robson-Kanu leaving that number nine role and he had a chance

:36:41. > :36:46.tonight. It has been really difficult and once again, you can

:36:47. > :36:49.see his frustration. It is so important when you are a lone

:36:50. > :37:02.striker, you have to make that ball stick. Cotterill has worked hard. It

:37:03. > :37:09.is difficult to change any sort of formation though. With a few options

:37:10. > :37:18.on the bench. Johnny William is flying in there. I think the pitch

:37:19. > :37:23.played a big part in that challenge as well but Northern Ireland leading

:37:24. > :37:29.1-0. Wales lost their last friendly here against the Netherlands. Chris

:37:30. > :37:36.Coleman will not want this to remain. It is not the farewell that

:37:37. > :37:47.they wanted unless things can change. Sam Vokes, holding the ball

:37:48. > :38:01.up, that is what they have to do but then they'd give it away sloppily.

:38:02. > :38:11.This is Johnny Williams. Taken out by McLaughlin. Nice and positive,

:38:12. > :38:22.what you would expect from Jonny Williams, trying to lift the crowd

:38:23. > :38:29.up. Cotterill scored from a similar position against site -- Cyprus. It

:38:30. > :38:40.has eluded everybody from this position. Cotterill with the free

:38:41. > :38:48.kick, Wales need a goal. McGovern collectors. Too flighty. You are

:38:49. > :38:52.inviting the goalkeeper to make that ball his own which is exactly what

:38:53. > :38:56.Michael McGovern does. He sees it all the way. And a bit of pressure

:38:57. > :38:58.from the Welsh captain Ashley Williams but it is a comfortable

:38:59. > :39:13.take for him in the end. There is movement on the Northern

:39:14. > :39:21.Ireland bench. They might be contemplating another change.

:39:22. > :39:32.Dallas thought he was in then. So did I. I thought there was a nudge

:39:33. > :39:36.of James Chester by Kyle Lafferty. A highly successful night for Michael

:39:37. > :39:49.O'Neill so far. Can he stretch that unbeaten run to nine games? He only

:39:50. > :39:55.one won -- Keown won one of his first several games as Northern

:39:56. > :40:00.Ireland manager. Of those you have to give credit to the Irish FA. Any

:40:01. > :40:07.manager would have lost his job with that track record. They kept faith.

:40:08. > :40:13.He has never won and away friendly, Michael O'Neill.

:40:14. > :40:21.I would not be too concerned if we do lose the game tonight. That would

:40:22. > :40:29.be three on the spin and then you go to Kiev which is a tough place to go

:40:30. > :40:34.and our last friendly... You don't want to be losing to France. You

:40:35. > :40:39.want to go in there with a bit of my mental, covered with this high. You

:40:40. > :40:46.can't read too much into friendly. I totally at the stat that. Still time

:40:47. > :40:50.but Wales need to step it up, no doubt. Simon Church might be coming

:40:51. > :41:09.on. Vaughan steps in. There is no lack

:41:10. > :41:14.of commitment. Just a bit of composure. There is no lack of

:41:15. > :41:21.effort or commitment, desire, it is just that lack of quality. The

:41:22. > :41:28.goal-scorer Cathcart, his second goal for Northern Ireland, his 25th

:41:29. > :41:39.cap tonight. Don't hit the ball much better than that.

:41:40. > :41:47.It looks like Joe Allen is about to enter the fray. This is Jonny

:41:48. > :42:01.Williams. McGovern is on the outside. A good

:42:02. > :42:07.run. Crossed over the head of Sam Vokes, comes back over to Matthew so

:42:08. > :42:11.he can lord it back in. Richards in the penalty area. Jonny Williams,

:42:12. > :42:16.can he get it in... May be a chance... Good goalkeeping by

:42:17. > :42:24.Michael McGovern. He spots the danger and comes out nice and brave.

:42:25. > :42:28.A wheelie good pass which opens at the northern Irish defence. A good

:42:29. > :42:36.cross into the back post by Chris Gunter.

:42:37. > :42:45.Ready-made for him, had he pulled himself back. Good pace down that

:42:46. > :42:56.right-hand side. Chris Gunter Imbula Bluecoat -- in

:42:57. > :43:20.behind the defence again. McLaughlin heads it away. Every

:43:21. > :43:29.player except Ward in that half. Cathcart, the goal-scorer. Does not

:43:30. > :43:34.get too much on the clearance. Still not cleared by the Northern Ireland

:43:35. > :43:39.defence. A teasing ball from Chris Gunter but McLaughlin deals with it

:43:40. > :43:53.and Matthews gets there first. Time for Joe Allen turn his 24th cap.

:43:54. > :43:56.Liverpool player replacing David Vaughan.

:43:57. > :44:02.Joe Allen had one of the more unusual press conferences this week

:44:03. > :44:09.when asked about his appearance on a chicken magazine.

:44:10. > :44:23.This is Croft. Crofts made a bit of a hash of that, would be too happy

:44:24. > :44:27.with that. He has scored, a long time ago against Malta in Llanelli.

:44:28. > :44:32.His one goal for Wales. Joe Allen said he had had an OK season at

:44:33. > :44:39.Liverpool. He has got his fans with him. He has done well in the Cup

:44:40. > :44:44.competitions. I member that penalty he took against Stoke in the

:44:45. > :44:52.semifinal, he showed a lot of courage. He has taken a lot of stick

:44:53. > :44:57.from the local fans. He is so valuable for this Welsh side. So

:44:58. > :45:01.valuable in the midfield, breaking play up, keeping things nice and

:45:02. > :45:11.simple, loads of energy. He is on the ball now. Chris Gunter has been

:45:12. > :45:18.steady again. Once again, the ball played in front of Jonny Williams.

:45:19. > :45:21.You need these three centre halves for Northern Ireland running towards

:45:22. > :45:27.their own goal, that is where we need them. You are facing a team

:45:28. > :45:36.like this, you do get the opportunity to put that ball down

:45:37. > :45:49.both channels. Jonny Evans makes way, his 46th cap in the bag, so is

:45:50. > :46:02.Paddy McNair. It is a player from Dundee United going on for McNair

:46:03. > :46:06.and that is Daniel Lafferty so a change at the back for Northern

:46:07. > :46:12.Ireland where they have looked technically solid. Let's see whether

:46:13. > :46:18.Wales can make anything of that. They might need a change in

:46:19. > :46:35.formation for them as well. With a flat back four maybe, now.

:46:36. > :46:42.It is only a couple of yards, that is all you have to do, but it is too

:46:43. > :46:45.easy to walk back and when the ball is played up to you, you react and

:46:46. > :46:50.you have to get yourself an side. You are just giving the ball

:46:51. > :46:56.straight back to the opposition. Well, they are happy. They start

:46:57. > :47:31.their European campaign against Poland in Nice, the day after Wales.

:47:32. > :47:40.A low effort from a half cleared corner, that is Cathcart on the ball

:47:41. > :47:55.now, the Watford defender. Williams is under that one.

:47:56. > :48:03.They have two step it up, we keep saying it, they have to add more

:48:04. > :48:09.pace to the game. We have seen some big -- missing some big players. At

:48:10. > :48:18.the minute, they look like a team who has not got the belief that they

:48:19. > :48:20.are capable of breaking this strong northern Irish side down. They are

:48:21. > :48:25.happy to keep the ball and keep things nice and simple but have not

:48:26. > :48:29.really got the belief they can cause them problems. I can't even remember

:48:30. > :48:38.Michael McGovern having a shot to save in the second half. Sam Vokes,

:48:39. > :48:49.his evening over. Simon Church who is on loan in Aberdeen at the

:48:50. > :48:53.moment, comes on for his 34th cap. Simon Church, a totally different

:48:54. > :49:02.type of player to Sam Vokes. He will run the channels, her he has got

:49:03. > :49:08.that pace. Two central defenders on for Northern Ireland now. Simon

:49:09. > :49:12.Church will add a lot more pace up front. I feel sorry for Sam Vokes

:49:13. > :49:21.though. It has been a tough night for him. Playing against two centre

:49:22. > :49:30.halves, but three. They have been a few crosses that have gone in. If

:49:31. > :49:38.you are six foot three, get yourself...

:49:39. > :49:55.Jonny -- Lloyd Isgrove wins the throw in. Allen cuts up the

:49:56. > :49:59.clearance. Out numbered though. Lafferty pulls away from Chester,

:50:00. > :50:06.who reacts quickly. Good play by the Liverpool keeper. He could see James

:50:07. > :50:17.Chester was in trouble. Lafferty on his shoulder. Everything is too

:50:18. > :50:27.straight, too narrow. Not enough options, not enough movement.

:50:28. > :50:40.Williams. A good ball in. He was where he had to be. He does not make

:50:41. > :50:45.contact. Clever play by Jonathan Williams. A lovely little ball into

:50:46. > :50:50.Simon Church but Craig Cathcart, good defending, he comes across,

:50:51. > :50:55.sees the danger and he does not to stop Simon Church from aiming and

:50:56. > :51:06.bringing Wales level. But better, better by Wales.

:51:07. > :51:16.He has done well again. Looks like a one-man rescue mission at the

:51:17. > :51:37.moment, Jonny Williams. Cotterill. A corner is forced. Not class

:51:38. > :51:42.defending. A really good ball in, teasing, by Cotterill. Just when you

:51:43. > :51:45.thought maybe there was half a chance by Lloyd Isgrove to get a

:51:46. > :51:53.left footed volley in, but right leg of McLaughlin means it is a corner.

:51:54. > :51:55.Can Wales give the 20,000 plus crowd something to shout about? Cotterill

:51:56. > :52:11.with the corner. It comes out to Matthews. He lobs it

:52:12. > :52:18.in. A header that was easily collected by McGovern. Not going to

:52:19. > :52:23.get much joy in the air when there is the Northern Ireland defence.

:52:24. > :54:19.A chance to move forward again. get at him. Just adds to the

:54:20. > :54:26.experience in the Northern Ireland squad. The average age is 27, six

:54:27. > :54:34.players over the age of 30 in the Northern Ireland squad. Wales are

:54:35. > :54:48.losing but the fans are singing the anthem, as is their way. That

:54:49. > :54:56.unforgettable night against Belgium. Definitely trying to make things

:54:57. > :55:03.happen, Wales. Chris Gunter into the middle. The ball is hoisted clear.

:55:04. > :55:26.Unlike Northern Ireland's goal... You make your own luck. You do.

:55:27. > :55:38.Mackay is across their into the penalty area. -- McKay. Aggressive

:55:39. > :55:44.from Joe Allen. A quickly taken free kick.

:55:45. > :55:52.Seven minutes to go. Plenty of noise from the Wales fans, it has been a

:55:53. > :56:05.disappointing night. Not the way they wanted their farewell to go. If

:56:06. > :56:09.anybody is going to make things happen, it you think it would be

:56:10. > :56:13.Williams. Look at the second half and he has been the one bright spark

:56:14. > :56:21.for me, Jonathan Williams. And as soon as I say that... He has tried

:56:22. > :56:28.to make things happen. Taking a lot of time to get up but I think he has

:56:29. > :56:32.had a bang in the face. Ashley Williams looks for Church, Lloyd

:56:33. > :56:35.Isgrove taken off his feet as he makes progress into the Northern

:56:36. > :56:42.Ireland penalty area. An offside flag went up.

:56:43. > :56:52.Plenty of concern on the face of the Wales manager, Chris Coleman. Defeat

:56:53. > :57:01.by Netherlands in the last friendly. Looking defeat in the face here. He

:57:02. > :57:12.will not be happy. Make no excuses either. He will still believe this

:57:13. > :57:16.squad, that he had got in his hands... A deflection! I think

:57:17. > :57:22.Church would have been offside anyway. Yes, went a bit too early,

:57:23. > :57:28.even though it did take a deflection off one of the Irish players.

:57:29. > :57:34.Slightly too high for Simon Church. Just offside, just offside. Behind

:57:35. > :57:46.him, it was too high anyway, Simon Church could not finish it.

:57:47. > :57:54.They are not lacking effort or commitment, just a bit of know-how

:57:55. > :58:00.at times. Doesn't help when you are without your two most influential

:58:01. > :58:04.creative attacking players in Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale. But you

:58:05. > :58:09.never know, injuries can strike at any time. And it does give the

:58:10. > :58:12.players who have come in an opportunity to impress and I think

:58:13. > :58:18.George Williams did that in the opening 45 minutes. I think Jonathan

:58:19. > :58:22.Williams has come on in this second half and he has been lively and

:58:23. > :58:28.bright. He has always been an option for whoever is on the ball. He has

:58:29. > :58:35.got himself involved in the second half. Apart from that, not too many

:58:36. > :58:41.positives. Jonny Williams sent tumbling now. Saying that, we did

:58:42. > :58:52.look comfortably eat defensively until the goal.

:58:53. > :59:06.He has got protection there. Lloyd Isgrove again. Passed through to

:59:07. > :59:12.Johnny Williams. -- Jonny. It is not a contest, is it?

:59:13. > :59:26.That left arm of McAuley comes across Jonathan Williams. He leans

:59:27. > :59:34.into him. You're not keeping that ball! Hard life! He has done well,

:59:35. > :59:46.Rob, but he will keep on getting in there. Williams or Williams in the

:59:47. > :59:52.final 23. Pick between the two, you think. It is the toss of a coin,

:59:53. > :00:03.isn't it? I don't envy Chris Coleman whatsoever! Having to break the

:00:04. > :00:10.squad down to 23 players. They few weeks ago I said to him, have you

:00:11. > :00:17.picked your 23? He said yes, every other day! He keeps changing his

:00:18. > :00:20.players. You would probably say 18 or 20 are certain. Maybe two or

:00:21. > :00:32.three places up for grabs. You don't see too many coming from

:00:33. > :00:41.out of the blue. Williams is caught, there. Maybe Tom Bradshaw, if he

:00:42. > :00:48.finishes the season strongly for Walsall. Terrific season last season

:00:49. > :00:56.for the Saddlers and he has done brilliantly again. He could get his

:00:57. > :00:59.opportunity on Tuesday night. Carrying a little injury which is

:01:00. > :01:11.why Chris Coleman has not risked him tonight. Pressure here for Wales

:01:12. > :01:17.belatedly, penalty! Well, Simon Church shows that if you don't buy a

:01:18. > :01:23.ticket, you have no chance of winning the lotto. I think it was

:01:24. > :01:31.McCauley who brought him down. Silly challenge by Gareth McAuley. Can you

:01:32. > :01:36.get a shot on goal? I'm not too sure. I think he moves the ball

:01:37. > :01:47.clumsily and Gareth McAuley slides in. What a chance this is for Simon

:01:48. > :01:49.Church. So, Simon Church to change the atmosphere at the Cardiff City

:01:50. > :01:58.Stadium. CHEERING

:01:59. > :02:05.No problem at all! Simon Church, the substitute, proves the hero in

:02:06. > :02:11.Wales's farewell game. His third goal for his country and Wales draw

:02:12. > :02:21.level with just a minute or so to go. A very well taken penalty by

:02:22. > :02:29.Simon Church. Kept his cool, terrific penalty. No chance for

:02:30. > :02:35.Michael McGovern, even though he went the right way. Simon Church was

:02:36. > :02:40.brought down by Gareth McAuley, you can have no complaints with the

:02:41. > :02:47.decision. Well done Simon Church. In good form for the club he is at.

:02:48. > :02:55.Scoring goals on a regular basis up north in Scotland. Shane Ferguson is

:02:56. > :03:03.on for Northern Ireland in place of Stuart Dallas. Four minutes of added

:03:04. > :03:08.time. Four minutes of added time. What can I say about the atmosphere

:03:09. > :03:18.changing? Now you think, and Wales go on and win it? -- can Wales? I

:03:19. > :03:23.know Chris Coleman felt it was really important there that Simon

:03:24. > :03:28.Church said he would take a loan to Aberdeen because he wanted to play

:03:29. > :03:36.games to be on the plane for France. He wasn't getting a game at MK Dons.

:03:37. > :03:38.You're talking about a man who was really struggling in the

:03:39. > :03:43.Championship and he has gone to a good club in Aberdeen. They have a

:03:44. > :03:47.chance of maybe winning the league title with Aberdeen. Will there be a

:03:48. > :04:06.twist in the tale here? -- Gunter into the box. Suddenly it

:04:07. > :04:11.sounds like a derby game! The tempo is much quicker. It is all hustle

:04:12. > :04:18.and bustle. Wales pushing forward, trying to get this winning goal now.

:04:19. > :04:23.Grandstand finish by Wales. Ashley Williams is still out there.

:04:24. > :04:39.You've got to give them one thing, Iwan Roberts, they don't lack

:04:40. > :04:42.spirit. They have huffed and puffed but hadn't really caused too many

:04:43. > :04:48.problems for the Northern Irish defence. Unless they can do

:04:49. > :04:53.something dramatic, Northern Ireland's wait for a win over Wales

:04:54. > :05:05.goes on. Their last victory was in May of 1980 at Ninian Park, when

:05:06. > :05:18.Noel Brotherston scored the winner. Williams clears. Simon Church... I

:05:19. > :05:27.actually had him in my 23 on the BBC Wales sports website. Iwan Roberts,

:05:28. > :05:33.Myself and Danny Gabbidon picked our 23 to go on the plane to France.

:05:34. > :05:37.You're mentioning that for any reason...

:05:38. > :05:44.I think it all depends how many forwards Chris is thinking of

:05:45. > :05:50.taking. These are the questions that will get answered in the next few

:05:51. > :05:53.weeks. Does he gamble in who you takes?

:05:54. > :06:06.The dying seconds. Iwan Roberts, what will Chris Coleman be thinking?

:06:07. > :06:14.He will be glad that, I won't say they have stopped the rot, but he

:06:15. > :06:21.knows we can play a lot better, he knows we are badly missing the big

:06:22. > :06:24.names in this side. He will be pleased with George Williams in the

:06:25. > :06:30.first half and Jonathan Williams in the second half. To be fair to the

:06:31. > :06:33.boys, they've kept going. They haven't let their heads drop and

:06:34. > :06:43.they have got there wards in the end. One last chance may be. One

:06:44. > :06:48.last chance for a winner. Red shirts in the box waiting for Cottrill to

:06:49. > :06:53.deliver. The dying seconds at the Cardiff City Stadium. Wales's last

:06:54. > :06:58.game at home before the Euro 2016 finals. Isgrove with the header

:06:59. > :07:13.wide, and that is probably it. A minimum of four minutes promised.

:07:14. > :07:15.Chris Coleman and Michael O'Neill both have something to take out of

:07:16. > :07:26.tonight. Honours even between Northern

:07:27. > :07:36.Ireland and Wales. Chris Coleman and Michael O'Neill embrace. Northern

:07:37. > :07:45.Ireland took the lead through Craig Cathcart, his second goal for his

:07:46. > :07:52.country. Wales showed real spirit and had their hero in Simon Church.

:07:53. > :07:56.He went north to Aberdeen to show Chris Coleman his desire to play

:07:57. > :08:00.first-team football and to score goals and he took confident penalty

:08:01. > :08:09.to save the day here at the Cardiff City Stadium. Chris Gunter moved

:08:10. > :08:13.into the top 15 in Wales caps. I'm sure he will want to play in the

:08:14. > :08:20.Ukraine on Monday night, which will be a tough game, Iwan Roberts, but

:08:21. > :08:26.there were some bonuses for Chris Coleman? Yes, when you think of the

:08:27. > :08:30.absentees from this well squad and you look at the Northern Irish team,

:08:31. > :08:36.they were without Chris Brunt but they had a majority of their squad

:08:37. > :08:40.that won Group F for them. He will take some positives from this game

:08:41. > :08:47.but he knows there is a tough test on the horizon come Monday night.

:08:48. > :08:51.They have the journey to Kiev, not an easy place to go. They have been

:08:52. > :08:57.on a couple of occasions and come back empty-handed. They are the team

:08:58. > :09:01.on a high after winning their place in France but they are there and it

:09:02. > :09:09.is never easy playing Ukraine away from home. There is no doubt that

:09:10. > :09:15.Wales Dulac something when they're superstars are not here, notably

:09:16. > :09:23.Gareth Bale, who would not miss the world's most expensive footballer?

:09:24. > :09:28.As well as Aaron Ramsey and James Collins and plenty of others missing

:09:29. > :09:32.too, Andy King, at the Wales players who were on duty stepped up to the

:09:33. > :09:41.plate after the break, none more so than Simon Church. The spot kick

:09:42. > :09:46.hero for Wales is ready to speak to our reporter.

:09:47. > :09:52.Simon, it seemed like it was going to be a sombre farewell but you got

:09:53. > :09:59.the all-important goal? Yeah, it's nice to get the equalising goal.

:10:00. > :10:01.It's tough, it was a tough game. They obviously deserve everything

:10:02. > :10:11.they have done through the campaign to get to where they are. A

:10:12. > :10:16.difficult second half but you didn't drop your head, you kept it going?

:10:17. > :10:22.Yes, we wanted to put in a good performance for the fans on the last

:10:23. > :10:26.time they see us. Many decisions to be made now by Chris Coleman about

:10:27. > :10:31.his final squad, are you confident you will be in there? Hopefully. All

:10:32. > :10:35.I've got to do is keep playing well and score some goals and we will

:10:36. > :10:37.see. A very competitive team and it's a great squad to be part of.

:10:38. > :10:47.Congratulations. Well done Simon Church. He held his

:10:48. > :10:53.nerve and tucked away the penalty nicely. Tricky conditions here at

:10:54. > :10:57.the Cardiff City Stadium, very wet and windy. It turned into a decent

:10:58. > :11:01.home nations clash in the last five minutes of the game.

:11:02. > :11:07.Chris Coleman didn't look happy at all chewing his gum on the

:11:08. > :11:13.touchline. Wales looked like they were travelling to Ukraine on Monday

:11:14. > :11:18.with three defeats in a row under their belts, but Simon Church tucked

:11:19. > :11:24.away a great penalty. Was it a penalty? I think so. Simon Church

:11:25. > :11:30.did really well just courting the foul really and then finished it

:11:31. > :11:35.with aplomb. The quality of crossing was very good tonight, David? It was

:11:36. > :11:43.and unfortunately we didn't quite get on the end of one of them. All

:11:44. > :11:50.the four wide players looks really good. When you have the likes of Sam

:11:51. > :11:55.Vokes and Gareth Bale when he comes back so powerful in the air, it's

:11:56. > :11:59.good to have. It turned into a decent home Nations clash in the

:12:00. > :12:02.last ten minutes. I thought in the first half we were comfortable

:12:03. > :12:06.either better team but in the second half we struggled to get going. The

:12:07. > :12:12.goal lifted everybody, the players and the crowd as well. It was decent

:12:13. > :12:20.and I think the crowd will be pleased with it. The defending was a

:12:21. > :12:26.bit unfortunate. Chris Gunter was marking him man-to-man. You see

:12:27. > :12:31.Gunter highlighted. He is tied to him and just gets a bit caught up

:12:32. > :12:35.with the ball. It falls nicely to Craig Cathcart. That was the

:12:36. > :12:39.difference, balls were falling nicely for Northern Ireland. Nothing

:12:40. > :12:42.was really falling for us. A bit disappointed from a defensive point

:12:43. > :12:48.of view but he finished it really well. I think the boys will be

:12:49. > :12:51.disappointed. Tom might be disappointed on the edge of the box

:12:52. > :12:58.he got caught with his shoulders square. But Craig Cathcart, what a

:12:59. > :13:04.brilliant finish. He kept it down and got it past the goalie. When Joe

:13:05. > :13:12.Allen came on, suddenly Wales had a bit of class in the middle of the

:13:13. > :13:16.park. They did. The boys the forward doing OK but Joe is instrumental to

:13:17. > :13:23.the way Wales play. His batting is really pivotal to the way the team

:13:24. > :13:27.plays. He upped the tempo a bit. It was slow until his introduction.

:13:28. > :13:33.What is Joe Allen like to play against? He's a terrific player.

:13:34. > :13:37.When he came on he started to dictate the play. One of his main

:13:38. > :13:42.attributes is breaking up the play. He won a few tackles but he is such

:13:43. > :13:47.a good passer. A few times he didn't take the safe option, hit broke into

:13:48. > :13:54.the number ten area and broke the line. You know Chris Coleman very

:13:55. > :14:05.well. Will he be disappointed tonight, Kit? Yet again Wales have

:14:06. > :14:09.said they played well but gave away possession a bit? We gave away

:14:10. > :14:12.possession quite a bit. The conditions were treacherous at times

:14:13. > :14:16.but there were too many cheap giveaways. It wasn't really a

:14:17. > :14:21.particularly balanced side. He was looking at a lot of different

:14:22. > :14:24.options tonight. Overall he will be pleased. How difficult is it as a

:14:25. > :14:29.footballer playing in these conditions but also in a long season

:14:30. > :14:34.knowing what is ahead of you? It is and friendlies can turn into a

:14:35. > :14:38.mundane affair. When you are out there, once it falls into that

:14:39. > :14:42.rhythm it's hard to get out of it. The boys will have one eye on the

:14:43. > :14:48.Euros and they want to impress. At the same time you don't want to risk

:14:49. > :14:51.it and think about injury. Michael O'Neill, it will be interesting to

:14:52. > :14:55.see what he says in his post match news conference because let's face

:14:56. > :15:04.it, Simon Church is going nowhere and Gareth McAuley, it's a clumsy

:15:05. > :15:12.challenge. It was but Churchy sort of courted the foul. He just takes

:15:13. > :15:17.that touched there. He drew the foul and it was a clear-cut penalty but

:15:18. > :15:23.the tackle didn't need to be made. Definite penalty? It was. I thought

:15:24. > :15:28.it was a poor decision by Gareth McAuley. That is what Churchy

:15:29. > :15:33.brings, clever runs. Simon Church doing very well, he has gone to

:15:34. > :15:36.Aberdeen where they are chasing down champions Celtic in the Scottish

:15:37. > :15:40.Premiership and he has got four goals this season, he has put his

:15:41. > :15:46.hand up tonight? Definitely, just by doing that move, he wasn't getting

:15:47. > :15:49.enough football at MK Dons, just cameo appearances. He wanted to make

:15:50. > :15:55.the move and get himself into this squad and it has proved to be a very

:15:56. > :16:01.good move for him. And being able to put up his hand and say I'm having

:16:02. > :16:05.this, lads. He's a terrific player, he's just been a bit unfortunate in

:16:06. > :16:09.the last few years since he left Reading. A very well taken penalty.

:16:10. > :16:16.He's an excellent finisher and I always expect him to score. Let's

:16:17. > :16:21.hear from the Northern Ireland Gold -- goal-scorer, Craig Cathcart.

:16:22. > :16:26.We'll go into any game prepared and knowing we want to do our best and

:16:27. > :16:31.it was no different, playing against another team that has qualified for

:16:32. > :16:34.the Euros. We want to repair well for the main tournament. On a

:16:35. > :16:40.personal note, your second international goal? Yes, it's all is

:16:41. > :16:46.nice. I scored my goal is to drips ago -- my first gold two trips ago.

:16:47. > :16:49.Disappointed it is not the winner but that is the way things go

:16:50. > :16:57.sometimes. You have another game before France, on Monday evening?

:16:58. > :17:01.That's it. We worked on the 3-5- two in the first half and managed to

:17:02. > :17:05.change formation. That is key for these games, getting the right

:17:06. > :17:10.tactics. Who will be the happier coach this evening, kit, Chris

:17:11. > :17:14.Coleman or Michael O'Neill? I don't think there will be much in it, I

:17:15. > :17:20.think they will both be slightly pleased. They probably learnt a few

:17:21. > :17:23.things and maybe slightly more Chris because he has probably looked at

:17:24. > :17:27.more of his potential fringe players. The interesting thing about

:17:28. > :17:30.Northern Ireland is that they flood the midfield, they will be really

:17:31. > :17:34.tough to crack in the European Championships even though they will

:17:35. > :17:38.be taking on the European champions, Germany? They will do and against

:17:39. > :17:41.the tough opposition it will sue them even more because they can

:17:42. > :17:45.defend for long spells and then use their pace on the counterattack. A

:17:46. > :17:50.bit like we play, to a certain degree. They look really strong,

:17:51. > :17:54.they have a strong spine to the team. What is the mood like in that

:17:55. > :17:59.changing room? I think we are a bit relieved to have got the equaliser

:18:00. > :18:03.late on. Would have been disappointing to end with a loss.

:18:04. > :18:08.Fair play to the boys, they kept playing to the end and we got a draw

:18:09. > :18:13.in the end. What was the gaffer's reaction? I think he focused on the

:18:14. > :18:17.positives. The application was there. We got a couple of new caps

:18:18. > :18:20.which is great for those lads and nice to welcome a couple of players

:18:21. > :18:25.back to the squad who have not been here for a while as well.

:18:26. > :18:30.Disappointing second half -- first half, a bit to work on before you

:18:31. > :18:35.face Ukraine? Yes, a bit to work on but that is what these friendlies

:18:36. > :18:40.are for. Preparations have begun for France and we can look forward now

:18:41. > :18:45.to travelling away to what will be a tough game in Kiev. A different

:18:46. > :18:49.experience, different challenge? Yes, a different challenge. I think

:18:50. > :18:53.that was the idea with these friendlies, two very different

:18:54. > :18:56.teams. I think that is what you need going into a tournament like the

:18:57. > :19:02.Euros. We made sure we give everything in that game as well. --

:19:03. > :19:06.we will make sure. Joe Allen, who changed the game, you have to say.

:19:07. > :19:12.Who were the standout players for you tonight, Kit? George Williams,

:19:13. > :19:18.Jonny Williams, Ashley Williams was superb at the back as always. And

:19:19. > :19:24.Joe Allen changed the tempo when he came on. Chris, happy with those 20

:19:25. > :19:29.minutes? When you represent your country you want to make sure you

:19:30. > :19:35.perform and I thought our lads showed pride. It was always going to

:19:36. > :19:39.be tough. Seven or eight players missing who would normally start,

:19:40. > :19:44.who have been starting in the campaign. Danny Ward has got his

:19:45. > :20:25.first cap, Lloyd bit more difficult for me tonight.

:20:26. > :20:27.Shaun MacDonald is someone I really like who has done well in

:20:28. > :22:06.Bournemouth. Hughes, he has got like who has done well in

:22:07. > :22:07.few changes for the Ukraine game. There have another tricky game in

:22:08. > :22:15.Ukraine. So what do we know about Ukraine?

:22:16. > :22:20.The game between Ukraine and Wales will be played in the capital city,

:22:21. > :22:28.Kiev. One of their most famous players is former Chelsea and AC

:22:29. > :22:35.Milan player Andriy Shevchenko. COMMENTATOR: What a moment! National

:22:36. > :22:46.treasure. Their star players include their strikers and midfielder Andriy

:22:47. > :22:55.Yarmolenko. It is ideal preparation for Wales because they will be

:22:56. > :23:00.facing Russia in their group at Euro 2016.

:23:01. > :23:14.Some big games across Europe this evening.

:23:15. > :23:21.A good win for Scotland tonight in the Czech Republic. All square in

:23:22. > :23:29.the biggest game of all, Italy and Spain. Who's going to win the

:23:30. > :23:36.European Championships, Kit? Wales. Wales! Obviously. But Ukraine will

:23:37. > :23:40.be another good test for Chris Coleman's side? Definitely, he will

:23:41. > :23:44.earn a bit more and get closer to that final 23 he keeps talking

:23:45. > :23:49.about. How will the boys be feeling after tonight? I think the majority

:23:50. > :23:52.will be pleased. It is obviously good to get the result. I know they

:23:53. > :23:56.say results don't matter in friendlies but it's nice to come

:23:57. > :24:00.away with a positive in that respect and that goal will give us a bit

:24:01. > :24:04.more confidence against the Ukraine. Michael O'Neill says he's not

:24:05. > :24:08.bothered about the result when it comes to international friendlies,

:24:09. > :24:16.but Chris is, isn't he? I think Michael O'Neill is, to be totally

:24:17. > :24:21.honest. You never like to lose a game for your country. He obviously

:24:22. > :24:24.puts more onus on a competitive game, as everyone would. But they

:24:25. > :24:28.are important and you don't like to lose them, but at this stage it's

:24:29. > :24:32.more about finding things out and looking at a few different things

:24:33. > :24:37.and getting closer to that starting XI for the first game. Essential

:24:38. > :24:42.that Wales learn to live without Gareth Bale or Aaron Ramsey, because

:24:43. > :24:46.if they pick up an injury in a major tournament, they do have to cope.

:24:47. > :24:51.The turnaround is so quick between those matches. You need to learn to

:24:52. > :24:54.cope without certain players. You can't put all your reliance on

:24:55. > :25:00.certain players in case they are not available. Chris has maintained all

:25:01. > :25:06.the way through, Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Dave Edwards... Fantastic

:25:07. > :25:15.players. But if they're not available, we need other players who

:25:16. > :25:19.we cant use and play to our strengths. When are you hoping to be

:25:20. > :25:23.back, Dave? I'm hoping to be back in training in the next ten days. I've

:25:24. > :25:30.kept myself fit, looked after myself. Hopefully it went take me

:25:31. > :25:34.long to get to speed. He turned down a half-time biscuit, he's looking

:25:35. > :25:41.after himself, unlike you! I had one, yeah! Overall thoughts? Very

:25:42. > :25:45.pleased, yeah. It was a good work-out. We looked at quite a few

:25:46. > :25:49.things tonight, players and different formations. Very pleased.

:25:50. > :25:54.Which players stood out for you? The two players who came on and at the

:25:55. > :25:58.end, Jonny Williams and Simon Church, they did well. Johnny

:25:59. > :26:06.started to run at players and make things happen, and then Simon Church

:26:07. > :26:12.with his clever runs and winning and taking the penalty. You can have

:26:13. > :26:27.your say on BBC Wales in a very special simulcast this evening. It

:26:28. > :26:30.is Ukraine against Wales live on BBC Two Wales on Tuesday at 6:45pm.

:26:31. > :26:41.1-1 it finished here and Wales are on the road to Euro 2016.

:26:42. > :27:01.COMMENTATOR: Cottrill hits it, low...

:27:02. > :27:08.Craig Cathcart drives it home and Northern Ireland have the

:27:09. > :27:11.breakthrough!