With the pain of Euros heartache still fresh in the memory, this evening’s friendly in Tallaght is the first step towards focusing on a new target for Vera Pauw’s Ireland.
Pauw’s charges botched the chance to qualify for a play-off to become one of the 16 teams to compete in the Euros, and the expansion of the World Cup from 24 to 32 teams leaves 11 places for sides under the UEFA umbrella – so it’s a big ask but not an impossible challenge.
For Germany-based defender Claire O’Riordan, the opportunity for the group to get back on the field and leave their Euros failure in the rear-view mirror is welcome – although the fact Northern Ireland are using this window to play a Euros play-off with their Ukrainian conquerors provides a reminder of what could have been.
“It was a disappointing end in 2020 but this is a new year and we will be preparing for these two games having not been together in a while,” says the 26-year-old.
“I don’t even think I’d be able to put it into words, to play in a World Cup. To be there and play would just be out of this world. A lot of work needs to be done in terms of being successful doing that. It’s the dream, it’s the goal someday and we’ll keep working towards it.”
Goalkeeper Grace Moloney, a contentious omission from key games on the Euros run-in, does have World Cup experience having been a member of Noel King’s U-17 side in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.
She is conscious that the members of that group who are still on the premises should be in their prime now.
“The group of players we’ve got now is probably the strongest group that I’ve been in, going into a campaign,” she says.
“I think there is real quality within the group and I genuinely believe we can get there, regardless of who is in our group.
“I played at the Under-17 World Cup, myself and the girls still talk about the experience from that.”
English-born Moloney has seen off competition at club level to become Reading’s No 1 and the next target will be to do the same with her country.
Pauw chopped and changed in the Euros campaign; Marie Hourihan and Courtney Brosnan were given opportunities, with a high-profile error from Brosnan in Ukraine proving costly.
Moloney was introduced for the final game against Germany but some observers felt it was too little too late.
“I’ve been in the squad for years and this is the most competitive area. Years ago, it was Emma Byrne and it was just there was nobody near her,” says Moloney with a nod to a childhood hero who gave the starstruck youth a pair of goalkeeping gloves prior to her U-17 adventure.
“Three different goalkeepers played in the last campaign. Niamh Reid-Burke could have played as well. It’s definitely keeping all three of us on our toes, we all want to play. That’s a good thing. We’re all playing at the minute.”
This is actually Pauw’s first friendly international as Irish boss, a reflection of how she got straight to the serious business.
The approach will be illuminating as there’s a feeling she remains reliant on a core of senior players, so the level of experimentation across the course of this week may provide an insight into her opinion on the importance of the leading lights going forward.
“Denmark are a fantastic opponent for us to play,” says Pauw. “They are a very dynamic team. Their teamwork is highly developed, they have got a few exceptional players, like Pernille Harder (Chelsea) and Nadia Nadim (PSG), and they push their team to a very high level.
“They are ranked 14th in the world, possess some excellent players, and are very much a team that will test us. We need this type of work-out to help us going into the World Cup qualifiers later in the year.”
Ireland v Denmark,
Live, RTE Player, 6.30
