Ireland boss issues plea to fans ahead of Aviva Stadium play-off decider against Wales
Ireland are 90 minutes away from Euro 2025 qualification.
Eileen Gleeson says home advantage can fire the Girls in Green to next summer’s European Championships - so she wants to see the Aviva Stadium bouncing next Tuesday night.
It’s all square in their play-off against Wales ahead of the second-leg in Dublin, thanks to an Olivia Clark own-goal, which cancelled out Lily Woodham’s opener in Cardiff last night.
The Girls in Green are just 90 minutes away from booking their place in Switzerland and they can do it in front of a bumper crowd, with more than 23,000 tickets already sold.
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Asked if home advantage would be significant, Gleeson replied: “Yes. I mean, the fans have come out, it really helps the girls, it helps us.
“It’s our home, we want to do our home nation proud and that’s what we’ll be looking to do on Tuesday.”
Centre-half Caitlin Hayes, who was denied a late winner by Wales goalkeeper Clark, also believes that Ireland can take advantage of a passionate home support.
“We showed great character to come back and pull it back to 1-1, and no one would bet against Ireland at home in Dublin,” said the Celtic centre-half.
“We’re not walking around saying we’re favourites, but at the end of the day the pressure that we do feel is a privilege.
“It wouldn’t be there if we didn’t have the quality within the team and experience of playing in big tournaments already. Like I say, we are excited for the opportunity.”
While Clark was credited with Ireland’s goal, it was all down to the quick thinking of veteran midfielder Ruesha Littlejohn.
She spotted the goalkeeper a few yards off her line and attempted a lob from 35 yards, which bounced off the bar, and went in off the back of Clark’s head.
“I saw it coming out and I thought, just hit it, and it was a bit of a lucky one. But you need a bit of luck in these games and we’ll take that. Onto the second-leg now,” said Littlejohn.
“I’d say it wasn’t the best game for the fans watching on telly, not a lot of football being played. But we knew it was going to be like that.
“So we go back to Ireland, back to the Aviva, and hopefully we can play some better football and take control of the match.”
It’s two years since Ireland defeated Scotland at Hampden Park to secure World Cup qualification - and Littlejohn reckons that experience can stand to the Girls in Green next Tuesday.
“It’s absolutely massive,” she said. “But we have been in these situations before and I think we have got a mature squad now.
“Hopefully we can handle the situation and do what we need to do.”
Gleeson, meanwhile, refused to criticise experienced defender Niamh Fahey for her role in Wales’ opener. She failed to clear Jess Fishlock’s cross, allowing Woodham to ghost in and score at the back post.
“It’s football, mistakes happen,” said Gleeson. “But you can’t just discuss one mistake, it’s an overall performance, 90 minutes.
“Yeah, we are disappointed to concede the goal, but it takes many moments to create that, the ball down the line, the cross in, there are lots of areas that we can be better in.
“We conceded one and we scored one, and we go again on Tuesday.”
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