A bumpy journey. “We came down ... nope ... shoop ... straight back up ... circled.” Anna Patten could have been describing the sobering first phase of Ireland’s attempt to qualify for Euro 2025 when they suffered five defeats on the trot before finishing up at Páirc Uí Chaoimh with a handsome 3-1 win over France.
Instead, though, she’s detailing the less than comfy flight she had from Manchester to Dublin to team up with the squad this week ahead of the double-header against Georgia.
“Not great. Did not enjoy it. The worst thing was after we boarded we sat on the runway in Manchester for two, three hours before we flew.”
And then Storm Ashley kicked in? “And I don’t like flying. I had my music playing loudly and was just trying to be like, ‘you’re fine’.”
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What were you listening to?
“Let It All Work Out.”
According to the interweb, Lil Wayne didn’t write the tune to help an Aston Villa defender cope with tempestuous wind conditions while aboard a plane en route to Dublin, rather it was a song of redemption, a message of hope. No matter what hardships you suffer in your early days, you can overcome them and come out stronger on the other end.
[ Mixed news for Gleeson in advance of Euro 2025 play-off against GeorgiaOpens in new window ]
Blundering as it is, the link to Patten’s career is irresistible. Joined Arsenal at 12, the club she had supported since she was knee-high to a shin pad, had an interlude in American college soccer with Florida State University, returned to Arsenal, and was released, joining Aston Villa the summer before last.
And then there were the international disappointments. England under-15, 17, 19, 20, 21 call-ups, but the senior breakthrough remained elusive.
But then Eileen Gleeson came calling once she learned of Patten’s Falcarragh, Co Donegal, and Lettermore, Co Galway, grandparents. Six caps later, the 25-year-old is now a mainstay of the Irish defence.
A baptism of fire it has been too, Patten making her debut away to France last April in Metz, her first five Irish appearances ending in defeat. Then she chipped in with the third goal that broke the losing run in July’s 3-1 win over France in Cork.
“When we saw that group it was obviously going to be a really tough one,” she says. “But the France result showed everything we learned over the fixtures — just being without the ball and learning to accept that pressure. And how we can defend in those scenarios as a team, and when we do regain the ball being really efficient. You could see that against France,” she said.
“There are connections growing on the pitch and everyone is understanding each other’s roles. There is so much to take from those Nations League games. We can take confidence from beating France and take it forward.”
For as long as most of us can remember, the Irish rearguard has comprised Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey and Diane Caldwell. There’s been a changing of the guard, though, Patten now a regular alongside Celtic’s Caitlin Hayes, with Quinn, Niamh Fahey and Jessie Stapleton chipping in with appearances alongside them.
Patten’s credentials this season are solid. Among the Republic of Ireland internationals in England’s Super League, only she and Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan have played every minute of their clubs’ games, although neither side is having a happy time of it, both yet to pick up a win and tied with West Ham at the bottom of the table.
She’s leaving those woes behind, though, for this international window when Ireland take on Georgia, home and away, in — hopefully — the first phase of their Euro 2025 qualifying play-offs.
“They are two must-win fixtures. That’s all we can look at. Previous results don’t matter,” she said in reference to the 11-0 and 9-0 trouncings of Georgia in Ireland’s 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Patten and her comrades will hope to subject Georgia to similar turbulence again.
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