Northern Ireland captain Magill out of play-off

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Injured Northern Ireland captain Simone Magill is one of several absentees for the Nations League promotion play-off with Iceland.

There is a return for experienced defender Sarah McFadden, fellow defender Toni-Leigh Finnegan, and forwards Kerry Beattie and Casey Howe.

San Diego-born forward Leyla McFarland, who plays for Durham, has earned a first senior call-up, as has Glentoran midfielder Mia Moore.

Laura Rafferty and Ellie Mason join Magill in missing out through injury, while fellow key defender Rachel Dugdale announced her retirement from football in September.

Burnley midfielder Brenna McPartlan is also missing for the play-offs, while the Irish FA said Glentoran's Demi Vance and Cliftonville defender Kelsie Burrows "both confirmed they were unavailable" for the play-off.

Tanya Oxtoby's side secured a shot at reaching League A for the first time by finishing second in their Nations League group behind Poland.

Iceland, on the other hand, were third in a League A group containing France, Norway and bottom side Switzerland.

The first leg takes place in Ballymena on 24 October and the return game is in Reykjavik on 28 October, but Oxtoby is without several key players.

Losing Magill is a blow to Oxtoby, with the Birmingham City forward picking up a hip injury after a strong start to the WSL2 season.

Magill played a key role in Northern Ireland's second-place finish in their Nations League group and had scored two goals in as many matches for the Blues this season.

After the retirement of Dugdale, and injuries to Rafferty and Mason, McFadden's return to the Northern Ireland set-up is timely after a long-term injury and the birth of her second child.

The 38-year-old, who has won 106 caps, will provide valuable experience in a youthful defence for the play-off.

Her Durham team-mate McFarland, 25, has earned a first senior call-up after she represented Northern Ireland on several occasions at youth level.

Midfielder Moore, 18, scored 12 goals as Glentoran won the Women's Premiership title on the final day against rivals Cliftonville.

Left-back Demi Vance, who was a key part of Northern Ireland's journey to Euro 2022, had fallen out of favour under Oxtoby and had not featured since September 2024.

In May, Vance had said she was "always be fit, ready and available to play" if recalled by Oxtoby, but the IFA said the 34-year-old, along with Cliftonville captain Burrows, had made themselves "unavailable" for the play-off.

Oxtoby said the youthful make-up of her squad for the Iceland play-off was "exciting".

"We have a very young group this time around who are all very excited to be part of the set-up," said the Australian.

"We've done a lot of work in the background to make sure they feel ready when they come in.

"It's a massive window for us, but more importantly it's a great challenge to see where some of our younger players are."

Goalkeepers: Jackie Burns (Calgary Wild), Maddy Harvey-Clifford (Crusaders Strikers), Kate Smith (Lisburn Rangers).

Defenders: Rebecca McKenna (Birmingham City), Rebecca Holloway (Birmingham City), Sarah McFadden (Durham), Toni-Leigh Finnegan (Aberdeen), Abi Sweetlove (Linfield), Natalie Johnson (Nottingham Forest).

Midfielders: Joely Andrews (Hearts), Nadene Calwell (Glentoran), Aimee Kerr (Glentoran), Louise McDaniel (Burnley), Megan Bell (Linfield), Caragh Hamilton (Nottingham Forest).

Forwards: Lauren Wade (Hearts), Casey Howe (Nottingham Forest), Emily Wilson (Glentoran), Keri Halliday (Hearts), Danielle Maxwell (Burnley), Kascie Weir (Glentoran), Kerry Beattie (Aberdeen), Leyla McFarland (Durham).

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