Rep of Ireland U21 1

Scotland U21 1

ALEX Notman scored his first goal for Scotland Under-21s in last night's draw with Northern Ireland and then admitted he will have to leave Manchester United in order to improve.

The striker has struggled to make the step up from the reserve team at Old Trafford with an array of multi-million pound acquisitions ahead of him in the queue and now, at 20 years of age, he believes the time is right to further his career before stagnation sets in. He is pragmatic enough to concede that he will be unable force Sir Alex Ferguson do drop the likes of Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - and, once the international challenge tournament, held in

Sheffield United are favourites to sign the youngster after he enjoyed a successful loan spell at Bramall Lane, scoring three goals in seven games, but a move to Scotland is not an option. ''I will have to ask to leave because I am not going to get my chance, I can't expect to with so many top-class strikers at the club,'' he said.

''I have been in the reserves now for three or four seasons and I don't want to hang around until I am 25 and end up at a club like Reading, but I will stay in England.''

While Hibernian's Kenny Miller hogged the headlines in the build-up to the triangular tournament, with senior manager Craig Brown insisting that his goalscoring exploits at club level have not gone unnoticed, Edinburgh rival Andy Kirk stole the limelight, claiming the equaliser for Ireland - and the man-of-the-match award - on his twenty-first birthday.

The Hearts striker, watched by Northern Ireland senior manager Sammy McIllroy, said afterwards: ''I have had a great season, getting into the Hearts first-team and winning a place in the UEFA Cup. That's a great incentive for me to do well in the summer.''

Scotland now have to beat Wales if they are to have a chance of winning the triangular tournament and, while coach Alex Smith was disappointed by the way the team folded after the break, he was, none the less, pleased by the performance of several new faces, in particular Notman's team-mate at United, Michael Stewart.

The 18-year-old made it on to the bench for the Premiership champions' last match of the season, against Tottenham Hotspur, and Smith said: ''He looked sharp, even though he is one of the younger members of the team, and he has a big future. I was very impressed with him.

''We let things slip in the second half, but I take a lot of encouragement from the way we played in the first 45 minutes and I think it would have been different if we had scored a second.''

The Scots started the match purposefully. Skill and style had deserted the two sets of teams on a surface peppered far too liberally with sand, but the direct approach suited the visitors more as the Irish became beached in their own half.

That domination paid off in 23 minutes when Notman found oceans of space from which to place the ball past the marooned David Miskelly after Warren Cummings' cross was nudged into the striker's path by Miller.

With his intelligent movement around the box and clever link-up play, Stewart showed why Sir Alex Ferguson called him into the first-team squad towards the end of yet another triumphant Premiership campaign. However, he could not inspire his country to a second goal.

Indeed, it was the hosts, with that man Kirk centre stage, who scored next after Miller had come close twice in five minutes. Jeff Whitley picked out the nimble attacker at the edge of the box and he skillfully scooped the equaliser over the head of the stranded Ryan Esson.

Northern Ireland - Miskelly, McAreavey, Graham, Convery, Dolan, Holmes, Clarke, Whitley, Kirk, Hamilton, Friars. Substitutes - Ingham, Kelly, McFlynn, Toner, McCann, Morrow, Harkin.

Scotland - Esson (Aberdeen), Neilson (Hearts), Cummings (Chelsea), Wilkie (Dundee), Caldwell (Newcastle United), Doig (Nottingham Forest), Notman (Manchestrer United), Severin (Hearts), Miller (Hibernian), Stewart (Manchester United), McAnespie (St Johnstone). Substitutes - Gallacher (Dundee United), Canero (Kilmarnock), Fraser (Luton Town), Jordan (Bristol City), Murray (Hibernian), Tarrant (Aston Villa), Young (Aberdeen).