England v Northern Ireland: women's international football friendly – live!

17 min: Rachel Daly drills a cross into the Northern Ireland penalty area from the right flank. Sarah McFadden puts it out for a corner. Jill Scott gets on the end of the ensuing inswinger but sends it wide.

15 min: A Flaherty clearance into the win drops kindl;y for Jill Scott, who advances towards the edge of the Northern Ireland penalty area. England are completely dominant here, helped in no small part by Northern Ireland’s inability to win their midfield battles and keep the ball.

14 min: Northern Ireland goalkeeper Becky Flaherty tries to lump a backpass long but her kick into the stiff breeze means the ball doesn’t travel too far.

13 min: England’s Rachel Daly tries a shot from distance but slips as she connects with the ball. Her effort sails over the crossbar.

10 min: Northern Ireland are being kept on the back foot but are hanging in there for the time being. They keep playing the ball out from the back but aren’t particularly good at keeping possession of it.

9 min: An excellent save from Flaherty, who reacts quickly to save a strong downward header from Lucy Bronze on the edge of the six-yard box. Alex Greenwood played an excellent ball into the box from deep and the header was strong, but Flaherty displayed the reflexes of a ninja.

8 min: Becky Flaherty is called into action again, darting off her line to gather a through ball played into the path of Rachel Daly.

7 min: Relentless pressure from England, who have a strong wind at their back. They’re passing the ball around crisply, looking for an opening.

5 min: Northern Ireland get out of their own half for the first time but England are soon on the attack again. Ellen White is put through on goal by a lovely weighted pass from Jill Scott but Northern Ireland goalkeeper is quick off her line to smother the ball at her feet. A corner for England, from which nothing comes.

3 min: Lucy Bronze pings a cross into the Northern Ireland penalty, where Ellen White is unable to steer her header goalwards. She got a little nudge in the back from Julie Nelson, which didn’t help her cause. No penalty is forthcoming.

2 min: Early pressure from England. Rachel Daly plays the ball right and wide to Lucy Bronze, who is promptly dispossessed by Rebecca McFadden.

1 min: Jill Scott gets an early touch, marauding forward in England’s first match for almost a year.

The teams are out: There’s a strong wind blowing at St George’s Park as both sets of players emerge from the warmth of their respective dressing-rooms and line up for the National Anthems. Will they play God Save The Queen twice? No … just the once.

Pre-match presentation: Jill Scott is presented with a commemorative mounted jersey with the number 150 on the back ahead of kick-off.

Hege Riise: “As a coach, my style is to listen more than I speak,” England’s interim manager told a Fifa.com interviewer last year.

“I look to involve my players in decisions, to give them trust and also, I hope, some calmness to do their jobs. When I look back to the coaches who got the best out of me, I think I’m quite similar in my approach. I like close connections with my players, and to be open to chat – not only about coaching and football, but about everything.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility to bring something to each player I work with, and to develop them in some way. For me that’s what being a coach is. I’ve never had a problem relating to a player who doesn’t have the attributes I had as a player. Bringing out the best in players, whatever their skills are, is a challenge I really enjoy.”

Jill Scott wins her 150th cap today

The magnificent Mackem will skipper England on the milestone occasion of her 150th cap today. Suzy Wrack sat down with her for a chat in the build-up to today’s game.