Noel King's side were beaten by a Lithuanian side that included seven senior internationals and were well deserving of the three points on the night.

The Irish suffered a blow just before kick-off when Glen Rea was ruled out after a training ground injury was aggravated in the warm-up so Shane Griffin was drafted into the starting line-up.

Lithuania opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when the impressive Lukas Spalvis finished off a counterattack with a looping header to the Irish net.

Seven minutes later Ireland were unlucky not to level in the 29th minute when Conor Wilkinson saw his header from a Jack Byrne corner hit the home crossbar and a defender cleared before Shane Griffin could get to rebound.

Callum O'Dowda had a strike saved in the 33rd minute before keeper Edvinas Gertmonas saved comfortably from a strike by Reece Grego-Cox from outside the box.

Ireland drew level in the 44th minute when Wilkinson produced a brilliant strike from 20 yards that flew past the keeper.

But the Irish were caught cold as they conceded another goal just 60 seconds later with Simonas Stankevicius shooting home from the edge of the box after a break down the right.

One minute into the second half keeper Gertmonas made a crucial save to claw an O'Dowda header to safety after the winger connected with a Sean Kavanagh free-kick.

Despite Ireland's domination early in the second half the home side were always a threat on the break. In the 52th minute Deimantas Petravicius burst in from the right and his low strike was saved by Rogers.

The Lithuanians got a decisive third goal in the 72th minute when a defensive mix-up saw Stankevicius slip through Donatas Kazlauskas and he slot the ball under the advancing keeper Rogers.

Ireland had a decent chance to pull one back in the 85th minute when a clever corner kick routine saw the ball land at the feet of Grego-Cox but he pulled his shot wide across goal.

The disappointing evening was compounded in the 88th minute when Kavanagh was dismissed for a foul on Deimantas Petravičius.

Ireland meet Norway in a friendly game at the RSC, Waterford, on Tuesday

LITHUANIA: Gertmonas, Aleksandravičius, Čerkauskas, Slivka, Šilkaitis, Stankevičius, D. Kazlauskas (Romanovskij 89), Spalvis, Januševskis, Petravičius, Baravykas.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Rogers, Long, Connors (Grego-Cox 18), Griffin, Lenihan, Browne, O'Dowda, Cullen, Wilkinson (Maguire 81), Byrne (Connolly 65), Kavanagh.

With a place at next year's finals in France at stake, it naturally turned out to be a tight game. However, Martin O'Neill's team performed superbly against a very good opponent.

There were few goalscoring opportunities in the first half for Ireland, but the hosts went close through Miralem Pjanic and Ervin Zukanovic but neither tested goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

By keeping their team shape, closing space down, and connecting their passes at key moments, Ireland were able to stifle their opponents and restrict their creativity in the final third.

When they did burst forward, there were flashes of excellence, as Brady showed with his net finish on 82 minutes when he cut inside his marker and fired in past Asmir Begovic.

Bosnia & Herzegovina got a goal back through striker Edin Dzeko, but Ireland held on for the draw, which gives them something to take confidence from ahead of the second leg in Dublin on Monday, November 16.

Ireland had several top performers, including defender Ciaran Clark, who admitted that the fog that drifted across the pitch in the second half made it a difficult game to get through.

"It was very foggy out there, especially in the second half. But it was the same for both teams. That's half the tie done and we've got to get ready for [the return on] Monday," said Clark afterwards.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Begovic; Mujdza (Vranjes 51), Sunjic, Spahic, Zukanovic; Visca (Djuric 73), Pjanic, Cocalic, Lulic (Hajrovic 88); Ibisevic, Dzeko.

Republic of Ireland: Randolph; Coleman, Keogh, Clark, Ward (Wilson 67); Hendrick, Whelan, McCarthy, Brady (McGeady 86); Hoolahan (McClean 60); Murphy.

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany).

The match at Morton Stadium between Shelbourne Ladies and Wexford Youths Women and the game at Celtic Park between Castlebar Celtic and Cork City Women have been postponed and will be refixed at a later date.

There will be a pitch inspection later today at Buckley Park where Kilkenny United and Galway are due to meet tomorrow.

The match between Peamount United and UCD Waves will go ahead this evening on the all-weather pitch at Greeogue at 7pm.

Ireland lost their opening group game on Friday when Slovenia scored with their only shot on target and then survived an Irish barrage that saw the home side hit the crossbar and force 13 corners to Slovenia’s two.

But the Dundalk midfielder believes all that was missing from an otherwise excellent performance were goals.

“If we can play like that against Latvia and hopefully take one or two of the chances we create then we can win,” said Poynton. “Obviously we were targeting a win from that game but, as I said to the lads afterwards, I think we learnt from that game. They had one chances and they scored from it and we battered the goal down and didn’t score. We know we need to win our final two games so that’s what we will be looking to do starting with the game against Latvia.”

Ireland Head Coach Paul Doolin could find little fault with the performance against Slovenia bar the failure to put away some of the chances his side created and felt the elements played a part in winning goal when Ireland failed to control a ball in a midfield.

“We didn’t want to lose the opening game but we did and now we know we have no margin for error. We have got to beat Latvia and Scotland so we know what’s needed. If we can produce the second half performance against Latvia and stick away some of the chances we create then we should be okay. The boys were very disappointed to come away with nothing and are determined to put things right tomorrow.”

Doolin has lost central defender Danny Kane who has returned to Huddersfield Town after suffering concussion in the first half of yesterday’s game. His departure means that Doolin will have to work off a squad of 17, 15 of whom are outfield players, for the rest of the tournament. Dan Casey, who replaced Kane in the Slovenia game, is also doubtful after picking up a nose injury.

Schedule

Friday, November 13

Scotland 2 Latvia 0

Republic of Ireland 0 Slovenia 1 

Sunday, November 15

Slovenia v Scotland, Markets Field, Limerick (2.30pm)

Republic of Ireland v Latvia, Eamon Deacy Park, Galway (7.30pm)

Wednesday, November 18

Scotland v Republic of Ireland, Markets Field, Limerick (3.30pm)

Latvia v Slovenia, Eamon Deacy Park, Galway (3.30pm)

Ireland meet Norway in a friendly at the RSC, Waterford, on Tuesday (7.30pm).

Paul Doolin's side will progress to the Elite Phase if they can avoid defeat against Scotland in their final fixture on Wednesday as Slovenia have already ensured their progress to the next phase following their 1-0 victory over the Scots this afternoon.

Leeds United striker Frankie Mulhern was a constant danger and got the opener in the ninth minute when he tapped the ball home from close range after a left wing cross by Graham Kelly was spilled by the Latvia keeper.

Latvia might have got back in the tie just two minutes later but their penalty appeals were waved away after Devids Dobrecovs was challenged by Robbie McCourt in the Irish penalty area.

In the 21st minute the dangerous Jason McClelland cut in from the right sent in a low left-footed strike which saw keeper Kristaps Zommers get down well to gather.

Mulhern just missed the target with a decent strike two minutes before the break and despite the wind and rain Ireland upped the pressure in the second half.

The second goal came in the 56th minute Graham Kelly steered the ball home after connecting with a right wing cross by Dylan Watts.

Mulhern threatened again in the 63rd minute when he drilled a low strike from the edge of the box towards goal but it whistles just wide of the Latvian upright.

Two minutes later Mulhern duly added the third goal when he raced onto a threaded pass from the impressive Connor Ronan to slot past keeper for a classy finish.

Six minutes from time Ireland had a let-off when Ričards Korzāns had a goal disallowed after appearing to handle the ball before finishing.

All in all the three points and three goals were well-deserved by Doolin's side and the Irish coached expressed his happiness afterwards.

"It was a very good performance and especially so considered the horrendous conditions," he said.

"We deserved to win against Slovenia on Friday when we were exceptional. Our play tonight again was very good. Latvia are a tricky enough side and against the breeze we defended well. They were getting balls into the box and looked to make it difficult for us.

"On Friday we got no luck considering the football we played but we deserved what we got this time around. Maybe we could have got one or two more and there were some great individual performances overall.

"It's our first clean sheet with this group and they're a good group of players who've been getting better and better each time. Scotland are a good side and reached the semi-finals of the European U17 Championships with this age-group in 2014 but we're going into that game in good form."

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Talbot, Deasy, McCourt, Elworthy, Sweeney, Poynton, Watts, Ronan, Mulhern (O'Connor 70), Kelly, McClelland.

LATVIA: Zommers, Sorokins, Džeriņš, Gulbis, Deružinskis (Grjaznovs 67), Jakovļevs, Juhnevičs, Zalaks, Dobrecovs, Tumanovs (Rubezis 52), Šilings (Korzāns 76)

Top Performer
John Egan (Gillingham)
There was never any doubt that Egan had the talent and the drive required to succeed at a high level, he just needed a break. Following a couple of loan moves and battling back from injuries, the composed defender linked up with Gillingham and he has been outstanding ever since. A goal in his latest appearance showed just how important he is to his team.

Watch Out For
James Talbot (Sunderland)
The former Home Farm schoolboy has been making notable strides since joining Sunderland, where he is rated very highly. Fuelled by a bravery to attack every ball and put his body on line to stop a goal, Talbot is the type of goalkeeper that solid teams are built on – as the Republic of Ireland Under 19s are finding out.

Irish Manager Monitor
John Sheridan’s Newport County drew 2-2 away to Accrington Stanley to remain in 21st position in League Two – two places above the drop zone.

Weekend Stats

League One
18 appearances– Conor Hourihane (Barnsley), Charles Dunne (Blackpool), Billy Clarke (Bradford City), Jay O’Shea (Chesterfield), Jimmy Ryan (Fleetwood Town), John Egan, Bradley Garmston, Emmanuel Osadabe (Gillingham), Mark Yeates (Oldham Athletic), Chris Forrester (Peterborough United), Sam Foley (Port Vale), Donal McDermott (Rochdale), Niall Canavan, Paddy Madden (Scunthorpe United), Dave Mooney, Michael Timlin (Southend United), Anton Rodgers (Swindon Town), Chris McCann (Wigan Athletic)
4 goalscorers– Billy Clarke (Bradford City), John Egan, Emmanuel Osadabe (Gillingham), Sam Foley (Port Vale)
3 un-used substitutes– Sam Kelly (Port Vale), Conor Sammon (Sheffield United), Cian Bolger (Southend United)
1 yellow card– Conor Hourihane (Barnsley)

League Two
21 appearances– Seamus Conneely (Accrington Stanley), Barry Corr, Rory Gaffney (Cambridge United), Gary Dicker (Carlisle United), Shamir Fenelon, Rhys Murphy (Crawley Town), Clinton Morrison (Exeter City), Jake Carroll (Hartlepool United), Alan Dunne (Leyton Orient), Mark O’Brien (Luton Town), Mark Byrne (Newport County), Brendan Moloney, John-Joe O’Toole (Northampton Town), Graham Carey, Carl McHugh (Plymouth Argyle), Michael Doyle, Brian Murphy, Enda Stevens (Portsmouth), James Berrett, Michael Collins, Eddie Nolan (York City)
1 goalscorer– Graham Carey (Plymouth Argyle)
3 un-used substitutes– Gearoid Morrissey (Cambridge United), Sean Long (Luton Town), Pat Hoban (Oxford United)
1 yellow card– Seamus Conneely (Accrington Stanley)
1 clean sheet– Brian Murphy (Portsmouth)

Compiled by GARETH MAHER

The crucial game for Martin O'Neill's team will decide their fate in the quest to secure a place at next summer's finals tournament in France after drawing 1-1 in the first leg.

Supporters are encouraged to be in their seats for when the teams come out onto the pitch, to wear green, and to get involved in the atmosphere for what should be a memorable game.

Make sure to share your experience on social media using #IRLBIH

The Irish suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss to Lithuania in Vilnius on Friday but King has freshened up his squad for this fixture and will look to the new additions to make a mark.

“Unfortunately the result in Lithuania last Friday was not as we were expecting and we also picked up a couple of injuries but this happens to every football team and it's up to the players to respond,” he said.

“There is a long way to go in the qualification process and we are pleased that our form at the RSC has been good so far.

“This fixture is an excellent opportunity for us to look at some of the players and it gives them a chance to stake a claim for inclusion in the squad when we resume the competitive games.”

Amongst those brought in are Shamrock Rovers midfielder Brandon Miele, Cork City midfielder Kevin O’Connor, Liverpool defender Dan Cleary and Birmingham City defender Noe Baba while there are recalls for St Patrick’s Athletic defender Lee Desmond, Tottenham’s Kenny McEvoy, Manchester City's Ian Lawlor and Everton’s Sam Byrne.

“We have brought in some players who have impressed in the SSE Airtricity League this year while also bringing in some of the players from the 1996 age-group and they all have an opportunity to make a mark and represent their country,” added King.

“I will also be looking to some of the players who didn't start in Friday's game in Vilnius to get a start tonight so there is plenty to play for. Norway are an excellent side and will provide us with a serious test. These games are an excellent opportunity to gauge the level of the new players.”

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U21 SQUAD:

Eric Grimes (Leeds United)

Ian Lawlor (Manchester City)

Shane Griffin (Reading)

Daniel Cleary (Liverpool)

Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers)

Sean Kavanagh (Fulham)

Sean Hoare (St Patrick’s Athletic)

Lee Desmond (St Patrick’s Athletic)

Noe Baba (Birmingham City)

Alan Browne (Preston North End)

Dylan Connolly (Ipswich Town)

Harry Charsley (Everton)

Kevin O’Connor (Cork City)

Kenneth McEvoy (Tottenham)

Brandon Miele (Shamrock Rovers)

Sean Maguire (Dundalk)

Conor Wilkinson (Bolton Wanderers)

Sam Byrne (Everton)

FIXTURE

Tuesday, November 17

U21 International Friendly

Republic of Ireland v Norway, RSC (7.45pm)

Martin O'Neill's team had the advantage of an away goal from their first leg 1-1 draw in Zenica, but they wasted little time in building on that when Walters converted a first-half penalty.

The Stoke City man missed the first leg due to suspension but returned to the starting line-up and kept his cool on 24 minutes when Ireland were awarded a spot-kick.

Walters got his second of the game on 70 minutes when firing in at the back post following a superb cross from Robbie Brady, who was awarded man of the match.

Ireland played a positive brand of football and kept their opponents quiet for the most part, although goalkeeper Darren Randolph was on high alert to deal with any danger.

The visitors did threaten several times and almost pulled a goal back late on but Ireland held on to record a historic victory that takes them to the Euro finals in France next summer.

After finishing third in qualifying, Ireland made it through to the Play-Off and they certainly made the most of that by overcoming a very difficult opponent to join Europe's elite on the biggest stage.

Republic of Ireland: Randolph; Coleman, Keogh, Clark, Brady; Hendrick, Whelan (O'Shea 90), McCarthy, Walters; Hoolahan (McClean 55); Murphy (Long 55).

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Begovic; Cocalic (Besic 46), Spahic, Kolasinac, Vranjes, Medunjanin (Djuric 69), Pjanic, Lulic (Ibisevic 80), Zukanovic, Visca, Dzeko.

Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Netherlands).

If Ireland avoid defeat against the Scots at Markets Field they will seal one of the top two places in Qualifying Round Group 1. The top two from each group progress alongside the third-placed team with the best record against the top pair in their group.

Doolin's side bounced back from a first day 1-0 loss to Slovenia to beat Latvia 3-0 on Friday. Scotland beat Latvia 2-0 then lost 1-0 to the Slovenians. A draw would see Ireland progress on goal difference.

"Everybody is in good shape. The injuries have cleared up, Dan Casey has been given the all-clear after meeting the specialist after suffering a facial injury against Slovenia," said Doolin.

"Scotland are obviously a good group of players as can be seen by them reaching the UEFA U17 Championships semi-finals two years ago and recently did well in a tournament in Germany. They were worthy winners against Latvia and maybe unlucky against Slovenia.

"They have very good attacking players and wide players. Defensively they've just conceded one and looked a good side. They've good players but so have we.

"Our lads have been great. I feel they should be qualified already as we were very unlucky against Slovenia but couldn't score. We haven't done the job yet and it'll be a tough game.

"They're a lot better now as a group than we were earlier in the season. We're creating chances and playing well despite the testing weather. We'll go into the game looking to get a result to qualify."

RESULTS & FIXTURES

UEFA U19  Championships Qualifying Round Group 1

Friday, November 13

Scotland 2-0 Latvia

Republic of Ireland 0-1 Slovenia

Sunday, November 15

Slovenia 1-0 Scotland, Markets Field, Limerick

Republic of Ireland 3-0 Latvia, Eamon Deacy Park, Galway

Wednesday, November 18

Scotland v Republic of Ireland, Markets Field, Limerick (3.30pm)

Latvia v Slovenia, Eamon Deacy Park, Galway (3.30pm)

Noel King's side maintained their unbeaten record at the South East venue in a measured display in a game which saw neither side really hitting top gear.

Everton midfielder Harry Charsley was a real positive for the home side with his bright attacking play and work off the ball. He had the game's first attempt on goal in the eighth minute but his snap-shot flew narrowly over.

In the 16th minute Norway threatened a goal on the break when Fredrik Aursnes fired in a shot from 20 yards that whistled narrowly wide of the Irish goal.

Ireland keeper Eric Grimes had his first save of note three minutes later after a quick counter-attack by Alexander Sørloth saw the Norwegian drill in a low strike that bounced back of Grimes but Iver Fossum volleyed well over the crossbar from the rebound.

Charsley showed his class again in the 34th minute when he produced a brilliant turn in the box and his strike drew a save from visiting keeper Per Kristian Bråtveit.

Four minutes later the Norwegian keeper made a brilliant save when he dived full length to touch a superb Sean Kavanagh strike from 30 yards around an upright.

Three minutes into the second half Conor Wilkinson had the game's best chance when the ball was helped back into the box following a corner but his powerful header was tipped over by subtitute keeper Sondre Rossbach.

In the 54th minute Norway threatened again when a left wing cross by Thomas Grøgaard was headed wide by Sørloth. In the 73th Morten Konradsen had a shot from 12 yards out blocked by an Irish defender and that was the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock.

Ireland's next game is against Italy at the same venue in March. King was pleased with the exercise.

"We wanted to have a look at a few different players and I felt it was worthwhile from that point of view," he said.

"It was good to keep a clean sheet and it was also important to stop the run of losses after defeats in our previous games against Italy and Lithuania. A number of players showed up well and will have increased their chances of featuring in the next fixture in the New Year."

IRELAND: Eric Grimes, Sean Hoare, Lee Desmond, Darragh Lenihan (C), Shane Griffin, Alan Browne, Harry Charsley, Sean Kavanagh , Conor Wilkinson, Dylan Connolly, Kevin O’Connor. Subs: Ian Lawlor for Grimes 46; Brandon Miele for Connolly 83; Noe Baba for O'Connor 83; Sean Maguire for Browne 88.

NORWAY: Per Kristian Bråtveit, Kristoffer Haraldseid, Jonas Grønner (C), Thomas Grøgaard  , Anders Trondsen, Fredrik Aursnes, Eirik Hestad, Alexander Sørloth, Petter Strand, Iver Fossum.

Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen. Subs: Sondre Rossbach for Bråtveit 46; Martin Rønning Ovenstad for Aursnes 46; Ghayas Zahid for Hestad 60; Morten Konradsen for Trondsen 60; Morten Thorsby for Sørloth 69.

The squad includes a first senior international call-up for U19 captain Savannah McCarthy of Galway while Wexford Youths left back Ciara Rossiter, who made her debut against the USA in May, returns to the squad. Both have been drafted in as potential replacements for Florida State’s Megan Campbell who is unavailable due to exams. Her college team-mate Megan Connolly, who was part of the squad at the Istria Cup last March, is also unavailable because of university commitments. College commitments have also ruled out Ciara Grant but Siobhan Killeen returns after missing the win in Portugal for the same reason.

After losing their opening fixture of campaign at home to Finland in September, the side bounced back with a hard-fought but well deserved victory away to Portugal last month and Ronan is looking for her squad to build on that result against top seeds Spain who opened their account with a win away to Finland in October.

“We have a great opportunity to put ourselves right in the mix for first place in the group by winning this game and we will be looking to take all three points. We played against Finland but didn’t take any chances we created so I was delighted that we got two goals in Portugal,” said Ronan.

“We played Spain last April in a friendly before they went to the World Cup and while we lost 1-0 we did play well and should have got a draw but the Spanish referee disallowed a perfectly good goal by Louise Quinn near the end.

“It is unfortunate that academic commitments mean both Megan Campbell and Megan Connolly are unavailable but I have been impressed  by the form shown in recent weeks by Ciara Rossiter and Savannah McCarthy and had no hesitation including them in the squad. It will be a good experience for Savannah who is still with the U19 squad and an opportunity for her to see at first hand what is required at senior international level,” added Ronan.

A full schedule of televised Europa Cup matches on Thursday week has meant the game has had to be fixed for 2pm but a promotional campaign among schools means groups from as far away as Cork will be travelling to Tallaght to support the side and also experience the Continental Tyres Fan Zone which will be open before the game and at half-time.

Republic of Ireland Squad (v Spain)

Goalkeepers: Emma Byrne (Arsenal), Grace Moloney (Reading), Niamh Reid Burke (Shelbourne).

Defenders: Meabh De Burca (Galway), Niamh Fahey (Chelsea), Savannah McCarthy (Galway), Sophie Perry (Brighton & Hove Albion), Louise Quinn (Eskilstuna United), Ciara Rossiter (Wexford Youths),

Midfielders: Diane Caldwell (Avaldsnes), Karen Duggan (UCD Waves), Ruesha Littlejohn (Celtic), Grace Murray (Shelbourne), Denise O’Sullivan (Glasgow City),

Forwards: Carol Breen (Wexford Youths), Siobhan Killeen (Shelbourne), Katie McCabe (Shelbourne), Julie Ann Russell (UCD Waves), Aine O’Gorman (UCD Waves), Claire O’Riordan (Wexford Youths), Stephanie Roche (Sunderland), Clare Shine (Glasgow City).

Paul Doolin's side needed a draw to seal second spot in the group but faced an uphill task after conceding just two minutes into the game. Ryan Hardie fired home after robbing an Irish defender. It was a soft goal for the visitors.

The Irish threatened an immediate equaliser but Frankie Mulhern's low strike is saved by keeper Robby McCrorie just 60 seconds later.

In the 11th minute a cross by Olamide Shodipo fell to Mulhern and he tried to set up a team-mate but the ball hit a defender before rolling narrowly wide.

Five minutes later a brilliant low cross by Connor Ronan from the left almost found Shodipo at the back post but he just couldn't connect.

Ireland suffered a hammer blow in the 24th minute when they went 2-0 down. Aidan Nesbitt fired home after Ireland conceded possession in their own half and were caught on the break.

The third goal came six minutes later. The wind played its part as a corner wasn't cleared properly then the ball was lofted back in and was bundled home by Ross McCrorie from close range.

In the 38th minute Ronan found the net with a low strike but unfortunately it was ruled offside and had that gone in it may have given the Irish heart.

Greg Kiltie was a real threat for the Scots. He had a 62nd minute shot from 25 yards saved by James Talbot then five minutes later Kiltie fired home from six yards out after a cross was not dealt with.

Talbot made a couple of saves to deny Nesbitt but it mattered little as the visitors claimed the three points. Ireland's hopes of qualification are essentially over.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Talbot, Deasy, Sweeney, Elworthy, McCourt, Poynton, Watts (Boyle 57), Kelly (McClelland 46), Ronan (O'Connor 66), Shodipo, Mulhern.

SCOTLAND: Robby McCrorie, Ross McCrorie, Tierney (Cameron 80), Breslin, Iacovitti, Thomson, Sammut, Burke (Wright 77), Hardie (Burt 83), Kiltie, Nesbitt.