OUR LAST RESULT...

NORTHERN IRELAND 1-0 Slovenia

Northern Ireland's World Cup dream remains very much alive after Warren Feeney's winner 17 minutes from time kept Nigel Worthington's side top of Group Three.

The visitors created the first effort of note after nine minutes when Brecko's shot from a Dedic flick was saved by Maik Taylor.

They threatened again on 21 minutes when Mavric was poised to pounce on a ball from the right but fortunately Chris Baird - on for the injured Gareth McAuley - was on hand to knock the ball to safety.

It was a tentative start for Northern Ireland and, indeed, took them until the 27th minute to craft their first real moment of danger after Grant McCann floated over a corner only for the Slovenian defence to rescue 'keeper Handanovic.

The visitors put the home defence under further pressure around the half-hour mark. First a free-kick from the right was punched away by Taylor at the back post while a Novakovic cross was just missed by the dangerously placed Dedic moments later.

And they almost took a not entirely undeserved half-time lead a couple of minutes from the break after Novakovic tested Taylor with a free-kick from just outside the area.

Nigel Worthington's half-time words of wisdom seemed to have the desired effect as Northern Ireland came racing out of the second half blocks a lot more assured than they had started the game.

On 52 minutes McCann found David Healy down the right who managed to get past his marker and test Handanovic with a left-foot effort.

Four minutes later Damien Johnson got on the end of another McCann corner only to blaze his stinging header just over as Northern Ireland continued to look more likely to find a way through.

However the visitors, very much against the run of play, created the chance of the game on 68 minutes when Koren rattled Taylor's crossbar from fully 25 yards after McCann had cleared a corner from the back post.

But just when it looked like Slovenia might be finding their way back into the game up popped Feeney on 72 minutes to flick the ball into the bottom far corner of Handakovic's goal after reaching an perfectly weighted Sammy Clingan cross.