Granted Nigel Worthington's preparations were severely hampered by a host of injury induced withdrawals coupled with the relative lack of competitive club action so far this season for a rump of what he was left to work with, not to mention handing a first international appearance to two of the panel - namely 'keeper Jonathan Tuffey (on at half time for Maik Taylor) and Niall McGinn.

And Hungary came into the game with their tails up after a promising start to their World Cup qualifying campaign.

So it was no surprise really that it was Erwin Koeman's visitors who started the brighter.

They twice came close to seizing the advantage inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour when first Fulham's Zoltan Gera just failed to get on the end of a dangerous looking Laszlo Bodnar delivery followed quickly by a Sandor Torghelle effort from the right which whistled just wide of far upright.

Indeed those early exchanges set the tone for what was at times a lacklustre encounter with Northern Ireland's chances at something of a premium.

In fact, it was the Hungarians who always looked the more likely to score with Torghelle again getting a shot in on 25 minutes while Roland Guhasz just failed to get a touch to a Huszti corner moments later.

It spoke volumes that it took until the 33rd minute for anything remotely resembling anxiety to in the visiting penalty area and even then it was self inflicted when Guhasz put his own 'keeper under pressure with a sloppy backpass.

There was an opening four minutes later, however, when Keith Gillespie crossed for Michael O'Connor but his header from the edge of the area was weak in the execution.

And O'Connor was in the thick of things once more on 42 minutes when his pass to Chris Brunt was intercepted on the left side of the box.

After the break Northern Ireland continued their slight revival with the best chance of the game thus far coming nine minutes in via the head of David Healy whose knock on from a Gillespie delivery is well saved by Gabor Babos.

The complexity of the game changed, however, within three minutes when Torghelle finally got the goal he perhaps deserved with a finish into corner of the net after Hustzi had pulled the back from the byline.

Chris Brunt might have levelled, though, on 63 minutes when his cross from the right struck the crossbar but the moment is cut short when Austrian official Robert Schoergenhofer sounded his whistle for a foul on Guhasz.

But the game was over as a contest eight minutes later when Gera grabbed the visitors second courtesy of an unstoppable right foot effort which gave Tuffey little chance.

McGinn, tonight's other debutant, almost got his international career of to a dream start a couple of minutes later only to scuff his shot from a Ryan McGivern cross.

The Derry City midfielder came close again soon after when he forced Babos into a low save to keep out his drive from just outside the box.

That, in reality, was that for either side as far as decent scoring opportunities went as a flurry of substitutions on both sides saw the game lose much of its shape.

Northern Ireland: Maik Taylor (Birmingham City), Michael Duff (Burnley), Ryan McGivern (Manchester City), Chris Baird (Fulham), Jonny Evans (Manchester United), Sammy Clingan (Norwich City), Keith Gillespie (Sheffield United), Michael O'Connor (Crewe Alexandra), David Healy (Sunderland), Kyle Lafferty (Rangers), Chris Brunt (West Bromwich Albion). Subs: Alan Mannus (Linfield), Jonathan Tuffey (Partick Thistle), Niall McGinn (Derry City), Warren Feeney (Cardiff City), Dean Shiels (Hibernian), Martin Paterson (Burnley).

Hungary: Gabor Babos (NEC Nijmegan), Laszlo Bodnar (Red Bull Salzburg), Vilmos Vanczak (FC Sion), Roland Guhasz (RSC Anderlecht), Gergely Rudolf (DVSC-TEVA), Balazs Toth (Racing Genk), Peter Halmosi (Hull City), Krisztian Vadocz (Osasuna), Sandor Torghelle (FC Augsburg 1907), Zoltan Gera (Fulham), Szabolcs Huszti (SV Hannover 96). Subs: Marton Fulop (Sunderland), Krisztian Vermes (Sparta Rotterdam), Robert Feczesin (Brescia), Gabor Horvath (Fehervar), Pal Dardai (Hertha Berlin), Balazs Dzsudzsak (PSV Eindhoven), Adam Szalai (Real Castilla).

Referee: Robert Schoergenhofer (Austria)