While attending the FAI Cup final on Sunday afternoon, Republic of Ireland manager Eileen Gleeson was, no doubt, keeping one eye on her phone to monitor the wellbeing of the 26 players she called up to her squad for the upcoming Euro 2025 play-off games against Georgia.
The news was mixed. For the third game running, Megan Connolly didn’t appear in Lazio’s match-day squad, but the club is yet to provide an update on her fitness. Similarly, there’s no news on why Heather Payne was taken off at half-time in Everton’s defeat by Leicester City — although that might well have been a tactical decision, manager Brian Sorensen left frustrated by another poor display by his side who remain winless after five WSL games.
Ellen Molloy, meanwhile, limped out of Sheffield United’s Championship win over Blackburn Rovers, putting a question mark over her chances of making her first appearance for Ireland in two years.
And more of the squad are still struggling for playing time with their clubs, Niamh Fahey and Izzy Atkinson were unused subs in the 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Crystal Palace, Abbie Larkin only coming on in added time for Palace. Marissa Sheva was also left on the bench again by Portland Thorns over in the States, Kyra Carusa just getting nine minutes for San Diego Wave.
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Two of the players on Gleeson’s standby list, Emily Whelan and Lucy Quinn, did their chances of being called up no harm at all, Whelan scoring a hat-trick in Glasgow City’s 13-0 mullering of Dundee United, making it eight in five games for the Dubliner.
Quinn, the Championship player of the month for September, got her third goal of the season for Birmingham City, her international team-mate Lily Agg getting their second in the 2-0 win over Southampton that keeps them top of the table. But ... Quinn picked up an injury just before half-time and was substituted.
Amber Barrett, though, is having a happy time of it, scoring her second goal in as many games for Standard Liege, this one the winner against Waregem in the Belgian Super League.
The best news of all at the weekend was the return to action of Chloe Mustaki for Bristol City after nine months on the sidelines with a hip injury. “It feels amazing,” she said after coming on for the last 20 minutes of their 1-0 win over Portsmouth.
