Aston Villa prospect Cole Brannigan supplied two assists as Northern Ireland Under-21s beat Malta 4-0 in European Championship qualifying on Saturday.
The forward created both of Jack Patterson’s goals at the Centenary Stadium in Ta’Qali, making a telling contribution from open play and a corner.
According to the Irish FA’s official match report, Brannigan set up Patterson to double Northern Ireland’s advantage in the 43rd minute.
He then delivered the corner from which Patterson scored again after 63 minutes.
Shea Kearney had opened the scoring, with Bayley McCann adding the fourth.
Cole Brannigan assists underline creative contribution
Brannigan also supplied earlier opportunities for Josh Briggs and Sam Inwood, while threatening with attempts of his own.
For the Aston Villa academy prospect, the performance offered a productive opportunity to influence a competitive international fixture.
Northern Ireland finish their qualifying campaign with home matches against Georgia on 1 October and Greece on 6 October.
Those games give Brannigan further opportunities to build on a display in which his delivery helped turn Northern Ireland’s control into goals.
