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Amber Barrett on her reputation as Ireland’s super sub and life with Strasbourg.
IN OCTOBER 2022, Amber Barrett came off the bench to score the most famous goal in the history of the Irish women’s national team. Her strike ensured a 1-0 victory over Scotland and clinched Ireland’s place at the 2023 World Cup – their first-ever appearance at the tournament.
Nearly four years on, the Donegal native would love it if history were to repeat itself. Ireland could conceivably secure qualification for the World Cup in the coming days.
However, they will likely need maximum points from their final two qualifiers at home to the Netherlands and away against France. But if the 30-year-old is to prove the match-winner, it will likely be as a substitute. Barrett has featured in three of Ireland’s four qualifiers so far, coming off the bench in each of these occasions.
“Sometimes I think I’m a wee bit unlucky not to get the nod, but I’m also the type of person that if it’s not a starting position that I get, I have to be ready to come on at any stage. I think it has shown that it might be, like it was in Poland, the last 20 minutes, and it’s a little bit defensive, that when balls come up to you, you make them stick, and when it’s time to run down the clock, you are the one to do it.
“Of course, every game and every time you come in for Ireland, everyone wants to play, and that’s definitely my mentality as well. But I’m always in that position where you have to create a positive environment for the team.
“It’s no good for anyone if I’m running around with a miserable face on me, because at the end of the day, it’s not about me, it’s about everyone. That’s where it has worked really well for me. When you carry yourself in that light, the opportunities come, and you know you are ready for them. I never have any doubt that I’m ready to go.
” Advertisement Barrett continues: “I think in my own position, that super-sub label has been hanging over my head for a long time.
“It’s not ideally something you want, but at the same time, I’m very accepting of the role that’s given to me at any stage that it is and whatever role that is. I’ll give absolutely everything that I have in my capabilities to do the best that I can.
“That wee bit more experience, the more that you go into these games knowing what the game will need at a certain time. That’s been very, very good for my position.
“I’ve been able to bring that into games and something similar, like the last couple of minutes in Poland, where my role was to hold the ball in the corner and take as long out of the game as possible. ” After the Dutch encounter, Ireland will hope to finish on a high against the French, many of whose players Barrett is particularly familiar with, given that she now plays in the Première Ligue with Strasbourg.
Last January, Barrett joined the club from Belgian side Standard Liège and says she has adapted well to her new home.
“It’s been brilliant for me, and it has lifted my standards and put me on another level where I thought I could reach. “It’s not easy moving halfway through the season, it’s not a case of you are just moving 20 minutes down the road. You are moving to a new country and leaving behind something you have known for the last two and a half years.
“I was very grateful to Liege and for everything they did for me, but the time to move was right, and I made the right decision with that. “Then it’s the learning experience of going into a new environment, adjusting to the league, of course, the quality of the players is much higher than what I was used to, so probably for the first couple of weeks I was at the adapting stage.
“But when I found my feet, and I always have that inner belief that I can settle very quickly, and I think I did, as soon as the first goal goes in, then my confidence is ready for the next opportunity. Game-time was massively important to that, and it really helped me find my feet and get a few goals as well.
” Barrett is a rare example of a high-profile Irish international who has never played her club football in Britain – that is true of only one other member of Carla Ward’s 25-woman squad . Since leaving Peamount in 2019, the striker has also represented two German clubs – FC Köln and Turbine Potsdam. Was it a deliberate decision to take the path less travelled?
“Probably a wee bit conscious but also probably a wee bit the way it’s played out. I don’t know what it is about being away from home and in different countries, but I’ve just really loved that new culture aspect and different types of football – I’ve played in Germany, France and Belgium now.
“The types of football they play in each country are so diverse, and it’s something that I feel has really, really helped and shaped my game in a really positive way. “Working with different coaches, different expectations from teams and learning a new language has also been something that I’ve really, really enjoyed. That’s ironic given I wasn’t very good at languages in school, whereas I feel like I’m stuck now trying to speak French with a Donegal accent.
It’s a wee bit more difficult than I would like.
“England is great, definitely leading the way in terms of professionalism and standards and raising the bar for women’s football, but I have certainly loved my journey abroad. “Being in Europe and able to travel when I get that opportunity with time off is great. I’m a train ride away from three or four different countries in my current position.
“As much as I love playing football, life is also too short to be stuck in one box all the time, so I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of it as well. ”
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