McCarthy welcomes Campbell’s return when she wants to claim Sweden
SAVANNAH MCCARTHY HOPES to use Ireland’s campaign at the Pinatar Cup as a springboard for a role in the upcoming clash with Sweden.
After being a major success story for Girls in Green 2021, McCarthy accepts that she must fight for a place on Vera Pauw’s team.
The Galway defender is part of the squad with 27 players for the tournament in Spain, which starts for Ireland with a match against Poland tomorrow afternoon (14.30 Irish time).
The camp serves as preparation for the World Cup qualifier against the Swedes, which is planned for April 12 in Gothenburg.
McCarthy ended a five-year wait for his sixth international against Australia in September last year. But being left out of Georgia’s visit to Tallaght Stadium in November was a reminder of the intensity of competition for places in Pauw’s defense.
“I had a conversation with Vera and I was happy with what she went through,” McCarthy said of Diane Caldwell’s return to the team at her expense for the record-breaking 11-0 win. “I have great respect for her and she has been good to me since I came in.”
After being impressed by McCarthy on a home-based training session last year, Pauw drafted the 24-year-old into his squad and rewarded her with four starts in a row.
“When I started with Galway, I was just trying to get back to the Irish line-up or even get in the eye of Vera,” said the former Glasgow City player.
“It came so fast. I think I had to wait until the season was over to actually reflect on how well I did to get into the squad, and then get into XI for the three or four games that I “Personally, it was fantastic, but I just hope that 2022 can be better again.”
With the injured Megan Campbell – who aims to win her first international since October 2019 – who also contributes to the defensive alternatives, McCarthy knows that events in Spain during the course of next week will probably affect the team choice for the meeting with Sweden, which will get Ireland to resume their efforts to reach a first major tournament.
“In every training session, I always give it 100% – that’s the kind of player I am,” said the Kerry native. “At the end of the day, we have 27 fantastic players in the group so anyone can play.
“To have Megan back, Megan is amazing. Everyone knows what Megan can do and what she has, so it’s good for us as a team. ”
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