Barrett recalled to Ireland squad for friendly double-header

Amber Barrett has been recalled to the Ireland Women’s National Team squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Italy and Wales.

The Milford native famously scored a goal against Scotland in the Fifa Women's World Cup play-off at Hampden Park in Glasgow in October 2022 to take Ireland to the finals for the first time in history. 

There she was a second-half substitute against Canada in Perth under former manager Vera Pauw, since then, Eileen Gleeson has taken charge as Head Coach, leading the side to six wins from six and promotion from the Uefa Women's Nations League B.

Barrett's inclusion for the upcoming friendlies comes following her omission from the squad for the last squad against Hungary. At the time, Gleeson said: “Amber is also part of that talent pool but we also base our decisions on what type of combinations we might like to play, we base it on game-time, we base it on the level that players are playing at.

“It is not to say that a player who is not in this squad won’t be in the next one, this is the squad we preferred for this camp.”

She will join Tyler Toland, pictured above, from Blackburn Rovers who is a native of St Johnston. There is no place in the squad for Erin Fildara McLaughlin from Culdaff and Peamount United. 

Barrett’s club Standard Liège are currently second in the Belgian Women’s Super League, level on 37 points from 15 games with Leuven, tailing on goal difference. 

The first games of 2024 will see Gleeson test her players away to Italy on Friday, February 24 in Florence before returning to Dublin to host Wales in Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday, February 27.

The Italy fixture will be the first international game to be played in Viola Park since the state-of-the-art training complex – which is the home base for ACF Fiorentina – opened in October 2023. 

The two games will serve as part of the preparation for the upcoming Uefa Euro 2025 Qualifiers, which kick off in April following the Draw on March 5.

Ireland WNT squadGoalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes)

Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Reading – on loan from West Ham United), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)

Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Jess Ziu (West Ham United), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University).