It was a disappointing night all round for Northern Ireland on Wednesday night – but probably for none more so than Peter Thompson.

Thompson got just a few minutes at the end of the 2-0 defeat to Hungary, coming on as a replacement for David Healy.

Having represented the Irish League on a number of occasions on the international scene, Thompson now wants more game time as a full-time professional on the other side of the Irish Sea with Stockport.

“It’s been difficult because I’ve had a couple of niggling injuries of late at Stockport and I just haven’t been able to get a run in the team,” he said.

“As for what I’ve got to be doing to get into the Northern Ireland team it’s something you’d have to ask the manager and at the minute he doesn’t feel he should be putting me in the team.”

He added: “Probably if you’re looking at it then you wish you were a midfielder or a defender in this squad because of who was unavailable.

“There are at least four of us vying for a place up front and that’s obviously good for competition, but I’m probably fourth in line so it’s difficult in that respect.”