Northern Ireland manager Michael McArdle says their play-off defeat by Portugal is "the start of a new identity" despite a heavy 7-1 aggregate loss.
McArdle has shown throughout his tenure that he is keen to expand Northern Ireland's squad depth, and he gave four players their debuts during the Portugal double header. One of those debutants, Elmore, scored Northern Ireland's only goal of the tie and became the second player to score on her debut under McArdle, after Emily Cassap netted during the 2-1 defeat by Switzerland in June.
"I'm delighted for Kess," McArdle continued. "I knew she could bring that, and it's just great that she has had that impact in Larne and also got the reward with a goal tonight. She's going to add so much to the group moving forward, but so will a lot of the debutants this week, which was exciting."
It has been a challenging window for McArdle's side, with key players including captain Simone Magill and the experienced Laura Rafferty, Nadene Caldwell and Caragh Hamilton missing. However, the Scot still believes the side set "a real enthusiastic marker" during the tough Portugal tie. "There have been those moments that have went against us, moments of misfortune. We're playing a risky style of football. We were on the front foot from the first whistle, and I couldn't be prouder of the girls," he said. "I'm really proud but also really frustrated with the scoreline."
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing