Nov 30,2024
As Eileen Gleeson departed Cardiff, she inadvertently channeled the words of an old Welsh crooner.
"It's good to touch the green, green grass of home," sang Tom Jones on his 1967 hit, and Gleeson's mind drifted to a similar sentiment after watching her side scrap to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Euro 2025 play-off against Wales.
Now she's banking on the power of a healthy Aviva Stadium crowd to help swing what is almost certain to be nerve-shreddingly close return game on Tuesday nght.
"I don't feel (the pressure) is on our shoulders," said Gleeson when asked about the positives and potential negatives of home advantage.
"I feel like it is in our soul, this is our home. We love playing in the Aviva. We love the crowd. It is magical. You walk out, they sing. Like, there is nothing like being at home in Ireland.
"For us, we are coming home. We are trying to inspire the nation and do the nation proud. That’s nothing but a boost. We are a passionate country. We have lot of pride in this team."
There's never any question around this Ireland side's resilience, but they will require more guile if they're to outmanoevre a Welsh outfit that looks absolutely capable of upsetting their hosts at Lansdowne Road.
Lily Woodham drilled home a fine opener after the well-populated Irish rearguard malfunctioned, and a large slice of fortune was required to cancel that opener out. Ruesha Littlejohn's effort bounced in via the back of keeper Olivia Clark's head after it had initially hit the bar.
The Girls in Green had some good moments, not least Caitlin Hayes' volley that was brilliantly saved by Clark. Overall though they lacked cohesion in a scrappy contest.
"We probably started better and Wales took control for 15 minutes," added Gleeson. "We got deeper, our press was a lot bit off, the wrong people were pressing. Lily (Agg) pressed on the centre-back and Ceri Holland got out (for their goal). We must stay in control.
"We have to tidy up in some areas. Where Wales were dominant, they won a lot of second balls. I'd like to think we have the advantage at home. Wales had a lovely atmosphere and that helps.
"As we said at the start it's not an easy place to come here with just under 20,000 fans singing and making as much noise as possible. Of course we wanted to get back to the Aviva in the game and I think that’s what we’ve done."
Gleeson's opposite number Rhian Wilkinson was bullishly upbeat as she looked ahead to the trip to Dublin.
After Vera Pauw's departure, several Irish players were open in their desire to play a more expansive game. However Wilkinson damned them with some faint praise as she lamented her own side getting sucked into "their style of play".
"They're very good at how they play," she said. "They’re physical, they’re direct, they have runners around the ball. If you get caught up playing their brand of football, they’re better at it.
"I played Ireland as a player, this is part of how they play."
"I thought we had a wonderful sequence of play in our goal. We stepped back a bit too much and allowed them into the game. Then we had moments. Games tilt in your direction when a moment plus a moment plus a moment is momentum and we never got that second and third. We’d have a moment, then we’d sport of get lulled back into trying to beat them at their style of play.
"That’s something as a coach you’re always a little bit frustrated by, but also, I played Ireland as a player, this is part of how they play. It’s really hard to break that."
There'll be no fear in the Wales camp when they make the short hop across the Irish Sea. Wilkinson wants and expects, a big performance.
"I look forward to going towards it as a team because that’s the exciting part. Wales loves adversity, loves it. The second leg, all square in Dublin.
"Of course we’d have liked to come out with a win but we’ll take it. We’ll head to Dublin and put on a performance we can be proud of. You hope that ends up with a win but at the end of the day we’ve got to look at each other and say we gave it everything we had. That’s all I can ask of my team."
