Nothing has come easy for Aoife Mannion in a football journey pockmarked by significant setbacks.
The Manchester United defender endured two ACL injuries in two and half years; rupturing the ligament in her right knee in October 2019, and then suffering a relapse in March 2022.
Called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for the first time in February 2023, the 28-year-old shone so impressively in a friendly against China that she instantly looked a shoo-in for World Cup selection.
However another desperately unfortunate knee injury crushed her dreams of making it to the tournament, while a torn quad last September wiped her out of the UEFA Nations League campaign.
Every time she gains a few yards, the cruel hand of fate seems to drag Mannion backwards.
And yet she keeps on going.
On Friday night she made her first competitive start for Ireland, producing a gutsy performance in the 1-0 loss to France in Metz. It is, she hopes, the start of a trouble-free run of games.
"Football is mad," Mannion said. "It has its ups and downs. I was delighted to be in the mix with games last year but this is my first competitive start. Maybe that will sink in after the camp but right now, it is about taking the positives and the learnings from this.
"I came in a couple of camps last year but unfortunately I had some injuries. C'est la vie; that’s life. But now I am back and I feel like I can contribute and that is what I am focusing on.
"There are elements of injuries that you could dwell on but really for me, it is easier to look forward and appreciate how things can swing around, sometimes in a bad way and sometimes in a good way."
It was a challenging night for the Girls in Green against a very stong French outfit.
They were on the back foot for most of the contest, constantly trying to plug gaps as their hosts stretched and probed a frazzled rearguard.
"We struggled in elements of that first half," admitted Mannion. "They had lots of the ball and we wanted to be more aggressive, that is something that was said in the half-time team talk, that we needed to be more aggressive and try and keep the ball a little bit better.
"England and Ireland is a massive game, especially in the Aviva. Of course, it's going to be aggressive."
"And we did that more in the second half.
"It took a while in the game for that to really click. Once we did win the ball back, we had to go forward quickly and take our chances. We know against a top team like France, we are not going to get hundreds of chances. And we weren't too far from putting in too many chances and getting a result."
Up next in a frightfully difficult Euro 2025 qualifying group is a showdown with England at the Aviva Stadium. There's nothing like a derby to focus the mind, and Mannion is backing her teammates to rise to the occasion.
"We are really excited for the England game. We know that they drew against Sweden (1-1), so really we feel that the group is wide open.
"Both England and France are top teams, they have world class players all over the pitch so there will be part of acknowledging that but on the other hand, we have to have a good game plan and know that we need to take our chances when we get them.
"It doesn’t matter who it is, England and Ireland is a massive game, especially in the Aviva. Of course, it's going to be aggressive.
"I think the supporters that come to the Aviva will be looking for us to push and get a result. Don’t get me wrong, we're playng one of the best teams in the world. Who won the Euros? But absolutely we are going for the win."
Watch Republic of Ireland v England in Euro 2025 qualifying on Tuesday 9 April from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on 2fm's Game On
