Niamh Fahey is ready to go head to head with Italy in Florence on Friday as she makes her grand return to the Ireland squad.
It has been somewhat of a quiet few months for the Ireland stalwart, who had picked up a calf injury for the second time after the 2023 World Cup in a pre-season game against Manchester United. This forced the Galway-native to miss out on all of Ireland’s Nations League campaign.
Speaking to the media ahead of Friday's game, Fahey expressed how ecstatic she was to be back with the national team.
“Yeah it’s great. I got the call from Eileen there a couple of days ago telling me that I was, you know, back in so I was, you know, absolutely buzzing. I had a bit of a tough time with an injury after the World Cup and missed all the games so I’m delighted to be back in. It’s a fresh start as well with the new group so yeah, it’s so fresh and so new, it feels like a new start again for me also.”
The first WNT squad of 2024 is here 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Baeye9vak0
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) February 15, 2024
New as as it may feel, Fahey is among the most established players in the Ireland squad, having earned 111 caps for her country since here debut in 2007. Even though the squad is full of new young talent, having more experienced players may now be more important than ever.
While the game in Florence is only a friendly, it’s clear this is the start of a new era for the Irish women’s national team. An unbeaten streak in the Nations League window will now see Ireland have to contend with prominent sides such as Italy in a bid to qualify for the 2025 Euros. Italy, who are in the second pot for the qualifiers, will prove an interesting opponent in what can only be described as a stepping stone to more elite games.
Fahey believes that playing against Italy is a new level of competition. On the possible continuation of Ireland’s Nations League success she said, “Yeah it’s very exciting, the girls did a fantastic job qualifying up into the top tiers so it’s going to be a difficult group but that’s where we want to be. That’s where the big games are and obviously, the bigger the game, the more exciting it is for players to test themselves against some of the best. So no, it's an exciting thing for sure.”
Outside of international football, Fahey captains the Women’s Super League (WSL) club Liverpool, a position she has held since 2020. Liverpool currently stand in fifth place on the league’s table and won 1-0 in their latest match against Brighton where Fahey was included in the team’s starting lineup.
How good was the skipper today, Reds? 👏 pic.twitter.com/xKfaZFRIiN
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) February 18, 2024
She reflected on Liverpool’s growing success this WSL season.
“Yeah great, I’m just so happy to be back in now in the starting eleven and keeping a clean sheet as well and climbing the table so we’re having a good season so far. We ust have to keep ticking it off game by game. No, we're enjoying it, our season so far at Liverpool.”
Another Irish player at Liverpool, Leanne Kiernan has also been called-up for international duty, pointing to the fact that the club has performed exceptionally well so far.
All set for international duty 🗺️ pic.twitter.com/hpckEmB4aT
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) February 19, 2024
While her career has been a long one, the 36-year-old has no interest in retirement anytime soon.
“There will be a day I’m sure but it’s not yet.”
