Áine O’Gorman comes out of retirement to answer Ireland’s call

Áine O'Gorman has come out of international retirement for Ireland's European Championship qualifying games next month against Greece and Montenegro with the Peamount United player being drafted in by Vera Pauw as an option for one or other of the full back positions.

O’Gorman, 30, retired from the Irish set-up in September 2018 after having earned her 100th cap in the qualifying game away to Norway. At the time, she cited work commitments although she has continued to play a prominent part for her club in the league here.

"Áine had taken a step back from elite-level football but we have injuries on both sides [of the defence] with Megan Campbell and Keeva Keenan out so the approach came from me if she could consider it," said Ireland manager Pauw at the announcement of a provisional squad on Wednesday.

“The intention is to see who is best but we would not bring her in if we did not think that she could have an impact on the pitch, in the position. We will see if it turns out that she will play, but we will discuss that openly with her and she has been very happy to make herself available.”

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Pauw, who still believes Ireland are in a strong position to make the qualification playoffs despite drawing the last qualifying game, away to Greece, has named an initial squad of 26 for these two games, although she is waiting on international clearance for three players born overseas who have agreed to declare for Ireland.

The players have already secured their Irish passports but it is not known when their clearance will come through. Its timing could determine the timing of Pauw confirming her final squad of 23 for the two matches.

Through she was disappointed on the day with the concession of an injury-time equaliser in Athens, she says now that, practically speaking, it does not affect Ireland’s position in a group that is fairly clearly destined to be won by the Germans.

“We had a lot of injuries, six unavailable players in six different positions in the team,” she said. “There is not team that can handle that. No top men’s team, no top women’s team.

“I think if you take that into consideration and take a step back from the disappointment of the draw and of losing the win in the 93rd minute, we actually have to be glad that we gained a point over there. We thought that it would be a difficult day and we thought that we might get away with it but in the end it was just one moment.

“Even if we had won in Greece, though, we would not become one of the best second-placed teams as far as it looks now. So in the end we have not lost anything in Greece except that we have no buffer anymore. We must win at home to Greece and away to Montenegro but we are confident that we can do that.”

IRELAND (provisional squad): Marie Hourihan (SC Braga), Grace Moloney (Reading), Courtney Brosnan (West Ham), Niamh Reid Burke (Peamount United); Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Áine O'Gorman (Peamount), Louise Quinn (Arsenal), Diane Caldwell (SC Sand), Claire O'Riordan (MSV Duisburg), Jamie Finn (Shelbourne), Claire Walsh (Peamount), Chloe Mustaki (Charlton Athletic); Julie-Ann Russell (Sydney University), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton), Hayley Nolan (University of Hartford), Niamh Farrelly (Peamount), Jessica Ziu (Shelbourne), Ruesha Littlejohn (West Ham); Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Clare Shine (Glasgow City), Heather Payne (Florida State University), Leanne Kiernan (West Ham), Amber Barrett (FC Koln), Rianna Jarrett (Brighton).

Schedule – Thursday, March 5th: Republic of Ireland v Greece, Tallaght Stadium, 19.15); Wednesday, March 11th: Montenegro v Republic of Ireland, Pod Malim Brdom, Budva, kick-off TBC.