King calls youth into extended squad

Republic of Ireland manager Noel King has called three youngsters into an extended squad ahead of the Euro 2009 Championship play-offs against Iceland at the end of the month.

Preparing for the biggest game in the history of Irish women's football, King has opted to bring in Amy Ryan, Gillian McDonnell and Louise Quinn.  All three are members of the Susan Ronan's under-19 side that coasted through the first phase of their Uefa championship qualifiers with wins over Greece, Iceland and Israel.

The 22-player squad will prepare for the first leg meeting with Iceland in Richmond Park on October 26th, before being whittled down to 18 ahead of the return leg on the 30th.

"The future of Irish women's football is very bright with a number of young players coming through the ranks and I think they can have a really positive impact on the squad," said King today.

"We are under no illusions about the task that we face going into these two games. 12 months ago, qualifying for the play-offs for the EURO 2009 championships was a pipe dream, we have to put our past achievements behind us and look forward with real optimism of qualifying for the championship finals in Finland next summer.

"Without being anyway disrespectful to our opponents, it was the most favourable draw from our point of view. Teams like Russia and Ukraine were also possible opponents which had the potential to be very tricky trips abroad," said King.

"I would like to point out that this is a massive occasion for women's sport in Ireland, this is a great opportunity for football fans and families alike to come along to support the "Girls in Green" in what could be the finest hour for Irish women's football."

Republic of Ireland squad

Aine O'Gorman — Stella Maris
Alisha Moran — Fulham
Amy Ryan — Stella Maris
Ciara Grant — Arsenal FC
Ciara McCormack — FK Larvik
Denise Thomas — New York
Emma Byrne — Arsenal FC
Gillian Mc Donnell — Dundalk
Jemma O'Connor — Birmingham  
Louise Quinn — Peaumont
Lynn Bradley — Raheny
Mary T McDonnell — Unattached
Meabh Da Burcha — Salthill Devon
Michele O'Brien — Jerseys Sky Blue
Niamh Fahey — Arsenal FC
Olivia O'Toole —  Raheny United
Sharon Boyle — Raheny United
Sonya Hughes — Dundalk
Stefanie Curtis — Bristol Academy
Stephanie Roche — Dundalk
Yvonne Treacy — Arsenal