Oct 22,2024
An energised Jessie Stapleton is hoping for a golden opportunity to impress in a green shirt this week after making another fresh start in her young career.
The versatile West Ham player spent last season on loan at troubled Reading, who withdrew from the Championship at the end of the campaign due to financial issues. The Royals ultimately dropped to the fith tier of the English football pyramid.
Stapleton, meanwhile, dusted herself down and made another loan move, this time to Sunderland. Still only 19, the Dubliner is feeling the benefits of getting regular minutes in a healthy environment, and came into Ireland camp this week buoyed by a north-east derby win over Durham on Sunday.
"I'm absolutely loving it," she said ahead of Friday's Euro 2025 play-off semi-final first leg against Georgia.
"The coaching, the lifestyle, the culture, the environment, I’m really enjoying it.
"The set-up is unbelievable. As I already said, the coaches are class, top of the range. I feel like I’m just improving and getting game time, which is the main thing."
Stapleton has been named as a defender in Eileen Gleeson's latest squad but is also capable of operating in the middle of the park. She started in the engine room against Sweden at the Aviva Stadium last May; a huge test that proffered harsh lessons and precious top-level experience.
"Before the campaign even started, we knew it was going to be a tough set of games because of the quality of the opposition," said Stapleton when reflecting on the qualifiers.
"We came out the better side of it. We learned a lot from playing the big teams and we fixed the little improvements we needed to. I think we’re in a really good position going into the next couple of games.
"Eileen is a great manager, really approachable, I feel like I’m learning a lot from her. The vibes in the camp are good. We’re like one big family when we come in, she’s been class for the team."
Ireland ended a tough Euro qualifier campaign with one win from six. The victory came against a much-changed France in their final clash in July but it was a huge morale-booster that sets them up nicely for a crucial autumn/winter.
Getting past Georgia, ranked 118th in the world, should be a formality over two legs. When they met in the 2023 World Cup qualification campaign, the Girls in Green won 11-0 at home and 9-0 away.
As long as they don't slip to what would be a monumentally surprising loss, it will be either Wales or Slovakia in the play-off final - a stiff challenge when the stakes will be nerve-shreddingly high.
Stapleton is excited by the prospect of it all, again talking up the spirit in the group as they chase qualification for a first women's European Championships.
"We all love being in camp and I think seeing everyone and catching up and stuff just brings a little bump in your step," she said.
"We're happy to be back. Any time we come into any set of games we just focus on the team we’re going to be playing.
"Obviously, the teams we played in the past have helped us come to the point we are at now. But our main focus is just beating Georgia and we’ll do that the way we can, the way Eileen wants us to do it.
"Over the past couple of games, I’ve been in and out of the team. Whatever Eileen thinks is the best 11 to go out on the pitch, we all back her and trust her with her opinion, whatever she thinks is right.
"There’s a great togetherness off the pitch that the staff have really implemented. We’re all just happy."
