Dale Gorman came on as a late substitute for Northern Ireland's Under-21s, who beat Slovakia 1-0 to finish in second place in group B in their European U21 Championships qualifying campaign.

The result, however, was not enough to earn Ian Baraclough's men a play-off place, meaning they missed out on a place at the European Championships next summer.

Gorman replaced Jordan Thompson for the last two minutes, as Mark Sykes' second half strike secured Northern Ireland all three points against Slovakia.

It was Gorman's second appearance for the Under-21s in the space of four days, after he started Northern Ireland's 1-0 away win over Iceland in Reykjavik last Thursday.

Arsenal defender Daniel Ballard popped up with an 89th minute winner during that game, to ensure Northern Ireland's qualifying campaign ended with three straight wins.

Gorman will now return to East London and could be involved in the squad for Leyton Orient's trip to Maidstone United in the FA Cup on Saturday.

The midfielder has made seven substitute appearances for the O's since moving to Brisbane Road on a free transfer from Stevenage in the summer.