Worthington: Turkey test
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Northern Ireland boss Nigel Worthington is aiming to learn a lot about his inexperienced squad against Turkey on Wednesday.
Worthington is planning to use all 17 players in his squad against Guus Hiddink's side in the searing heat in Connecticut.
Five youngsters are set to make their debuts in the starting XI for this end-of-season friendly - Wolves schoolboy Johnny Gorman, 17, and Irish League quartet Alan Blayney, Robert Garrett and Jamie Mulgrew of Linfield and Portadown's Kevin Braniff.
The side will be captained by Motherwell centre back Stephen Craigan, who will be winning his 47th cap in the game.
He has been awarded the armband in the absence of regular captain Aaron Hughes and vice-captain Maik Taylor for the two-game, end-of-season tour which also includes facing World Cup-bound Chile in Chillan on Sunday night.
With the European Championships 2012 qualifying campaign just around the corner in the autumn, Worthington is hoping to get a measure of the character of his players.
He said: "I'll be looking at individual performances, seeing who can deal with the situation and mental strength, where they're at with that.
One-off
"This is a one-off situation. We'll monitor them, I'm hoping people catch the eye and come August, when we've got the friendly warming up to September, some of them might be in the frame for the senior squad."
The game-time temperatures are forecast to be at 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the Veterans Memorial Stadium and Worthington is looking for the youngsters to cope.
"The heat's very, very warm, no doubt about that," said the NI boss.
"But, again, it's going to be a brand new experience for some of the younger players, certainly.
"It's a case of how you deal with it and the tempo that you play at.
"You've got to get the tempo right because if you go in at a high tempo for the first 15-20 minutes you could be suffering for the next 70.
"So we want to try and keep the ball as much as we can and if the opposition has got it, make sure we keep our shape so we're not running all over expending energy."
Worthington is also not underestimating the Turkish opponents.
Very good
"They're a very good side technically and they've got a new manager in Guus Hiddink that I've great respect for," he said.
"So it will be a very tough game for us but that's where you learn your lessons, that's where you learn about individuals and that's where a lot can come out of it."
Like Worthington, new Turkey boss Hiddink will use the game as an opportunity to learn more about his squad.
The Dutch tactician has a wealth of experience in international management having already coached Holland, South Korea, Australia and Russia in his illustrious career.
Hiddink, whose contract with the Football Union of Russia is due to expire on 30th June, watched from the stands as his new side beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in New Jersey last Saturday.
Former Turkey captain Oguz Cetin, who is part of Hiddink's backroom team, coached the side for that clash and the team won thanks to goals from Arda Turan and Nihat Kahveci, while Milan Cerny scored a late consolation.
The game was the last for stalwarts Emre Asık and Okan Buruk, who served the side for many years, while Turgay Bahadır earned his first cap.
The victory over the Czech Republic was the side's second successive friendly success, after the 2-0 victory over World Cup-bound Honduras in March.
