Just over a month away from the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League play-off against Belgium, manager Carla Ward will have been buoyed by the start to the club season of some of her players, among them Amber Barrett and Abbie Larkin, who both scored twice at the weekend for, respectively, Standard Liege and Crystal Palace.
She’ll be concerned, though, by the continuing absence of Denise O’Sullivan from North Carolina Courage’s line-up, the midfielder nursing a “lower body” injury since she hobbled out of her side’s mid-August game against Portland Thorns. It is, though, classed by Courage as a short-term injury, so Ward will trust that the Cork woman will be hale and hearty by the time the Belgian games come around.
Just four of her players started for their clubs in the English Women’s Super League at the weekend, with only Katie McCabe ending up on the winning side in Arsenal’s 5-1 defeat of West Ham.
With Kinga Szemik out injured, goalkeeper Megan Walsh made her first start for West Ham since December 2023, while Aston Villa’s Anna Patten and Everton’s Courtney Brosnan were on the losing sides against Chelsea and Spurs.
Heather Payne and Leanne Kiernan were injury time subs for Leicester and Liverpool in the former’s 1-0 win – Ward could do with both getting considerably more game time.
There was happier news in the WSL2 where Tara O’Hanlon made Sunderland’s squad for their 1-1 draw with Birmingham City. She wasn’t brought on from the bench, but it was the first time the 20-year-old, on loan from Manchester City, featured in a match-day squad for almost two injury-blighted years.
Courtney Brosnan featured for in Everton’s defeat. Photograph: Carl Recine/Getty Images
Meanwhile, the drain of talent from the league at home continues, Scarlett Herron and Jessica Fitzgerald making their debuts for Hibernian on Sunday after they left Shamrock Rovers and Peamount United last week.
Over in Italy, Megan Connolly’s Lazio are having a storming start to their season, their 3-0 win over Parma sending them through to the semi-finals of the inaugural Serie A League Cup. They had already beaten league champions Juventus and Napoli in their group, Connolly at the heart of Lazio’s defence in each of their wins.