Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby says the lack of panic from her players was the most pleasing aspect of Friday’s 2-0 Nations League play-off win in Montenegro.
NI dominated the first leg but had to wait 70 minutes for the opening goal, which came through Lauren Wade.
Demi Vance added a second in injury-time to give NI a buffer heading into the second leg in Belfast on Tuesday.
“We knew we’d have to grind them down,” Oxtoby told BBC Sport.
“We knew when we came here, it was going to be a difficult game. They were going to put bodies behind the ball and they did it effectively.”
Northern Ireland created a number of chances before half-time, most notably for Wade and Danielle Maxwell, and that theme continued after the restart but the visitors could not break down the stubborn defence.
Oxtoby had spoken before the game about wanting a complete 90 minute performance and she feels her players delivered on that front.
The Australian added she made “a couple of little tweaks at half-time” and was pleased with how her players adapted as Montenegro sat deeper and deeper, rather than playing hit-and-hope football.
“I’m really pleased with the performance and the determination in terms of making sure we stuck to our processes and what we were trying to do,” said Oxtoby, who was appointed as Northern Ireland manager in August.
“We didn’t get too frustrated and to get the win in the end is fantastic. It is easy to panic and I think that’s the most pleasing thing about our performance.
“I think maybe three or four months ago, we would have just started lumping balls in the box, but we actually really tried to exploit the spaces with our movement, with our patterns and you know the second goal is a great example of that.
“I’m really, really pleased for the players as that shows progress in terms of what we’re trying to do.”
Demi delight but McFadden a doubt
After setting up Wade for the opener, defender Vance found the net late on for only her fifth international goal in 91 caps.
“She will let me know about that goal for the whole trip home, and she’ll probably have it on her phone and definitely show me 120 times,” Oxtoby said.
“We know Demi is versatile so you can push her further up the pitch after she started deeper.
“The quality she showed for the finish was sensational. I’m pleased for her and I’m sure she’ll let me know just how wonderful it was.”
After a strong performance away from home, Northern Ireland will look to finish the job on Tuesday at Windsor Park and retain their place in League B.
Defender Sarah McFadden was forced off with “a slight issue” five minutes after half-time but Oxtoby said “it was too early to say” if she would be fit for the return fixture.
“It was more precautionary than anything else,” Oxtoby added.
“We’ve got players that can come in and do a job. So from our point of view it gives an opportunity to someone else.
“It’s a long trip back, but we’ll assess her when we get back to Belfast and see where we’re at in terms of the match itself.”
“I think you can expect more of the same. It’s going to be another difficult game for us to try and break them down.
So yeah, it’s going to be a little bit more of the same”.