Northern Ireland duo ruled out

Defender Craig Cathcart and striker Warren Feeney have withdrawn from the Northern Ireland squad to face Norway at Windsor Park on Wednesday.

The pair were part of manager Michael O'Neill's first 24-man squad since taking over from Nigel Worthington, but were ruled out with injuries as the players met up for training in Belfast.

Blackpool's Cathcart, who was a strong contender to start the match, has a hamstring complaint, while Plymouth forward Feeney failed to overcome a calf problem.

O'Neill does not intend to replace either Cathcart or Feeney immediately, but has players on alert should any further injuries emerge before Wednesday's game.

"We picked a 24-man squad to allow us the luxury of one or two withdrawals, because we knew there were games at the weekend," he told Sky Sports News.

"We have lads on standby in case anything else happens."