Nineteen months on from her Republic of Ireland debut, Hayley Nolan is desperate to earn a second cap against Morrocco in next week's international friendly.
The Kildare native is part of a London City Lionesses side that are going about business in the right way to get promotion from the Championship to the Women’s Super League, but the 25-year-old is desperate to showcase her talents to Vera Pauw and move up the international pecking order.
The Girls in Green take on Morocco twice - a behind-closed-doors encounter this week before a full international friendly against their fellow World Cup finalists on 14 November – and it allows Pauw the opportunity to add depth to her squad.
Erin McLaughlin and Katie Keane are the uncapped players in the 26-woman squad, yet Nolan has just a single cap to her name.
Introduced as a 73rd-minute substitute for Megan Connolly in last year’s 1-0 defeat to Belgium, hopes of maintaining the upward curve were scuppered shortly after.
Surgery on a dislocated shoulder, an injury picked up in an aerial challenge in training, put her out of the game for seven months.
"It was a big blow for me," she told RTÉ Sport. "After making my debut I had big aspirations to push on within the squad, and at club level. To miss half the season with London City was devastating."
Nolan is no stranger to the long and winding road.
The former Peamount United player was recruited to the US by the University of Hartford the following year, undertaking a four-year scholarship which allowed her to balance her football and studies in Economics and Finance.
London came calling through Lisa Fallon and this season she has started every game for the Lionesses as they occupy second place in the Championship, two points off leaders Bristol City.
After tasting defeat in their opener, they are on a seven-game unbeaten run that includes five clean sheets.
The early defeat to Palace saw the team switch to a 3-5-2, a formation that Nolan, as the left-sided centre-back, has thrived on. It also allows the former midfielder to hone her skills, on occasions, further up the field.
"It suits me because when we attack, I come into it as a midfielder at times, in possession."
Does she take inspiration from fellow Kildare native Nathan Collins, a ball-playing centre-half who caught the eye with a sublime individual goal against Ukraine earlier this year?
I want to push on to the next level. With my strengths and weaknesses, it (centre-half) suits me down to the ground.
"If I can emulate that (goal), I’d be very happy," she answered.
The move further back the field was something of open discussions with Pauw and her club manager Melissa Phillips.
First called into an Irish squad in 2019, Pauw has had an open dialogue about her best position, and during her time in the States, she dropped in to fill gaps when required.
"In the last year I decided to make that my main position. I want to push on to the next level. With my strengths and weaknesses, it suits me down to the ground."
The plan was always to be back in contention for the October play-offs, but the quick return from injury and form with the Lionesses propelled her back into the Irish squad for the final two qualifiers.
She didn’t get the chance to add to her solitary cap, with Niamh Fahey, Louise Quinn, Diane Caldwell very much the first-choice defenders in a back three, but is hopeful that against Morrocco, a side that finished second in the summer’s Africa Cup of Nations and defeated Ireland’s group opponents Nigeria at the semi-final stage.
While women’s football is on the crest of a wave in this country, Nolan is not in any way surprised by the rate of progress given the calibre of player at Pauw’s disposal.
"When you look around, we have so many talented players, but there’s also the hunger, drive and determination.
"When teams play us, they are quietly scared as they don’t know if they can get a result against us. We are a very difficult side to defeat and score against, which is the mainstay of any team.
"Sitting in the room with so many talented players, I think it is evident to see that we definitely going to succeed and do well."
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