Soccer

Eileen Gleeson will have been keeping an eye on her players ahead of the Euro 2025 qualifying campaign

Happily, on the whole, the news is good. Heather Payne returned to action for Everton in Sunday’s Merseyside derby, which ended scoreless, having missed out through injury in their previous game

Ireland's Tyler Toland in Republic of Ireland WNT vs Albania Women in Tallaght Stadium. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Ireland's Tyler Toland in Republic of Ireland WNT vs Albania Women in Tallaght Stadium. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Mary Hannigan
Sun Mar 24 2024 - 21:35

It’s less than a fortnight away from the start of Ireland’s Euro 2025 qualifying campaign, one that opens with a formidable trip to Metz to take on France, the world’s third ranked side. And it won’t, of course, get a whole lot easier after, England the visitors to Dublin a few days later, with Sweden also having been drawn in Ireland’s group.

So, ahead of naming her squad for the start of that campaign, Eileen Gleeson will, no doubt, have been keeping a nervous eye on the fortunes – and fitness – of her players at home, in England, Scotland, the United States and beyond.

Happily, on the whole, the news is good. Heather Payne returned to action for Everton in Sunday’s Merseyside derby, which ended scoreless, having missed out through injury in their previous game. And Leanne Kiernan got another hour under her belt after her latest rehabilitation, starting the game for Liverpool.

Aoife Mannion made her first appearance for Manchester United since last May, having had to overcome yet another injury lay-off, coming on for the last half hour of their 3-1 defeat in the derby against City.

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Tyler Toland is fit again after missing the last international window, playing her part in Blackburn’s Championship win over Southampton on Sunday, and Louise Quinn is fully recovered from her recent shoulder injury, starting in both of Birmingham City’s wins in the space of five days that have made them serious contenders for promotion to the WSL – they’re four points behind leaders Sunderland with a game in hand.

That promotion battle is a zinger, just four points separating the top five sides, and it involves eight Irish players – Crystal Palace’s Hayley Nolan, Izzy Atkinson and Abbie Larkin, Birmingham’s Louise and Lucy Quinn, Lily Agg and the currently injured Jamie Finn, and Southampton’s Emily Kraft.

London City Lionesses’ Irish crew, meanwhile, have pulled away from the Championship relegation zone after racking up their third win in a row, goalkeeper Grace Moloney, Megan Campbell and Ruesha Littlejohn all starting in their injury-time win over Charlton on Sunday, with Niamh Farrelly on the bench.

The one worry for Gleeson is Sinead Farrelly’s continuing struggles with a thigh injury that resulted in the midfielder missing Gotham’s opening NWSL game of the season.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times