Gamble at the double

Cliftonville’s Oisin Gamble started two of Northern Ireland Under-17s’ three fixtures in an invitational tournament in Spain over the course of the past week.

The 16-year-old central defender (pictured, 3) was selected in the XI that recorded a 1-1 draw with Poland in La Nucia last Thursday and, after being named on the bench for a goalless encounter with Norway on Saturday, returned to the line-up for the team’s 2-1 defeat to competition winners Sweden on Monday.

Fellow Academy talents Oisin Murray, Joe Sheridan and Keevan Hawthorne, meanwhile, featured as Northern Ireland Under-18 Schoolboys claimed the Frank Wilson Memorial Cup with a 3-0 victory over Jersey Under-21s in St Helier on Thursday.

Sheridan – who completed a loan move to Queen’s University on transfer deadline day – had opened the scoring in a Man of the Match display against the same opponents at Springfield Stadium two days earlier, but joined Ballyclare Comrades loanee Hawthorne in featuring from the bench for the second showdown, when Reds goalkeeper Murray recorded his second clean sheets in as many outings on the trip.