Feeney keen to right the wrongs

Northern Ireland's players have been stung by the reaction to their defeat against Serbia on Friday, according to striker Warren Feeney.

Steven Davis' miscued backpass handed Serbia a 1-0 win at Windsor Park, a result which dealt Northern Ireland's hopes of taking second spot in Group C a heavy blow. Fans were clearly disappointed with the setback, none more so than the man who flung his replica shirt towards the dugout in a show of frustration. Their reaction has not been lost on Nigel Worthington's men, who have also been monitoring the press response to the match. "There's been a wee bit of negativity in the papers," said Feeney. "I'm not one who worries about that, it's water off a duck's back to me, but I'm sure some of the boys will. "Everyone has an opinion and it's easy to criticise. I'm not one who takes it in but some of the young ones coming into the squad maybe do. It does get talked about, I'm not going to lie. "But it's gone now. We'll pick ourselves up and try to put it right. "The only way to put things right is to get the right result against Estonia." Although Friday's loss left Northern Ireland fifth, they are not yet out of contention for a play-off place due to a tight group in which only leaders Italy have pulled away from the pack. "We don't go out on to the pitch to not do well - what we want on our CVs is to get to championships," Feeney continued. "We were disappointed with the result but it's gone now and we want to move on to the next game. "We're still in it. We have to pick ourselves up for the next one and if we get the result everything will change for us." Feeney, who came on as a second-half substitute against Serbia, had a clear view of the disgruntled fan's gesture towards Worthington and does not believe such actions help the cause. "I saw the fan (who threw his shirt) when I was warming up and it's not nice," said Feeney. "If he wants to come and meet the players and vent his frustration at us then he can do that. "The criticism shouldn't be heaped on Nigel. He's the manager and he picks the team but we are the ones who cross the white line." Feeney agrees supporters are entitled to show their discontent if they wish but believes expectations may be higher now than in the past. "It's difficult because fans pay good money and want good performances but I can guarantee we go out and try our best," he said. "We're as frustrated as they are. I know because I used to go and watch Northern Ireland as a boy myself. "We're not blessed with superstars, but look at the other night when Windsor Park was rocking. When I was a kid we only used to get 4,000 in. That shows expectation has risen."