Savannah McCarthy looking for the same and more in 2022

Savannah McCarthy describes her 2021 season as fantastic and she is hoping for more of the same and more this coming year.

Her displays in the last WNL campaign for Galway earned her the player of the month award in August, a place on the three player shortlist for the league’s player of the year award and a recall to the Republic of Ireland national team. 

With the girls in girls she played a crucial part in a couple of famous wins in the autumn – the 3-2 home victory in the September friendly over the high-flying Australian team (who finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics the previous month) and the 2-1 away win in Finland in October.

That victory in Helsinki, coupled with the four points picked up in November’s double header in Tallaght, leave the girls in green second at the half way point of qualification for the 2023 World Cup being hosted in Australia and New Zealand.

In preparation for April’s away qualifier against Sweden in Gothenburg, this week Vera Pauw’s squad are playing in the Pinatar Cup in Spain with McCarthy one of the 27 players who have travelled for the training camp and three friendly fixtures. Ireland play Poland in the first game on Wednesday. 

“We are in a really good position but there is still a long way go,” said McCarthy when speaking from Ireland’s training base in Spain about the qualification process for the World Cup. “For us it is taking it game by game and we are trying to get as many points as we can.

“This week is going to be good. Vera [Pauw] will get a chance to look at the 27 players in the squad. 2021 was great for us as a team and we want to build on that in these games.”

The 24-year-old defender is now in her second spell with Galway having returned to the club at the start of last season. In between she won the Scottish Women’s Premier League with Glasgow before a couple of seasons with Cork City

“Last year was fantastic,” said the Kerry native. “When I started off with Galway last year, I was trying to get myself back into the Irish setup and get in the eye of Vera. It came around so quickly.

"It was only when the season was over that I could reflect on how well I did to get myself into the squad and then get into the starting XI for the games that I played. I'm hoping this coming season will even be better.”

Having spent last year commuting three times a week from her base in Listowel to Galway, she has made the move up to the city of the tribes for the new season.

“It was tough,” said McCarthy about the football commute. “It might be easier if I was living in Dublin but I love playing. I've moved up to Galway now and it gives me more time to focus on my football.”

McCarthy is one of just six players in the Ireland squad this week who play in the WNL, with a number of players having made the move to the UK over the winter break.

“When I was in Glasgow, it was nice when you came out your door and five minutes away you are training. That makes a lot of difference - as does training every single day. We don't have that in Ireland unfortunately at the minute. 

“I was semi-pro when I was in Glasgow. Ireland needs to go to semi-pro as the best players in Ireland are leaving. That is something we have to look at as we want to have the league in Ireland be as competitive as we possibly can.” 

Pauw names Ireland squad for Pinatar Cup as preparations for crunch World Cup qualifier continue https://t.co/u4VU83YxPwpic.twitter.com/MNY2uBJVk9

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) February 11, 2022