Town skipper Gareth McAuley has revealed that missiles were thrown at Northern Ireland's players by the crowd during Saturday's 2-0 defeat in Slovenia. McAuley could switch from right-back to centre-half for Wednesday's game at home to San Marino.

McAuley says he wasn't conscious that objects were being thrown during the game, but said that at least one of his team-mates was hit: "A few things landed at the side of the pitch, maybe a golf ball, and I think Maik [Taylor] may have been hit by a lighter but I didn't take much notice.

"It was a pretty hostile atmosphere but only what you would expect from a tight ground and a full house.”

Northern Ireland will be without Manchester United's Jonny Evans at Windsor Park on Wednesday and McAuley is as yet unsure whether this means he'll move positions: "Jonny has played very well in the last few games and has really been knocking on the door at Manchester United so he will be a big miss. I don't know whether I will move to centre-back or stay at right-back."

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland's IFA have announced the sacking of chief executive Howard Wells, who occupied the same job with the Blues for nine months between October 1999 and July 2000. Wells was recently linked with the soon-to-be-vacant chief executive's job at the English FA.

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