Ruesha Littlejohn said Shamrock Rovers are the perfect fit for her club and international ambitions after an eye-catching SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division debut on Saturday.
The 34-year old midfielder was released by the London City Lionesses in January, and was a surprise arrival in Tallaght last week after the Hoops made an ambitious move for her signature.
The 87-times capped Republic of Ireland international has to manage an Achilles tendonitis injury, training quite lightly before and after matches. It was massively important for Littlejohn to find a club willing to accomodate that, with Shamrock Rovers boss Collie O'Neill amenable to the situation.
"There was a couple of options but in the end it suited me better personally and on the pitch in fairness," Littlejohn told RTÉ Sport after her excellent free-kick helped the Hoops to a 1-1 draw against Athlone Town.
"I spoke to the stafff and I knew they would manage me. Rovers train three nights a week and then a game. That's kind of what I would do. I'm at an age where starting over again, abroad and stuff like that, it becomes frustrating when you've got coaches and managers that don't want to manage you. If they want you on the grass six days a week, it's not going to happen.
"I spoke to (Ireland head coach) Carla (Ward), she was happy for me to come here, obviously to try and get another Irish player in the league and try and help the young ones coming through."
Welcome to the League of Ireland Ruesha Littlejohn 😍
— LOI Women (@LoiWomen) March 15, 2025
A free kick on your debut to put @RoversWomen ahead! 👏 pic.twitter.com/4DNvQE8qAL
Littlejohn isn't known for her goalscoring prowess but she broke the deadlock in Talaght with a lovely strike. Her display thereafter was typically controlled, bringing teammates into play in an assured, confident showing.
"I said it to Jaime (Thompson), 'are you on free-kicks?' She was like, 'no whoever fancies it', so I said, 'right, OK'. I just thought I'd have a pop," she added.
"It's early days, loads to improve on, but I think we know that ourselves. We were very cheap in possession, we were very frantic. We just need to get better at taking care of the football, dominating the ball if that's how we want to play.
"I said to the girls before we came out, 'look, if I'm shouting do not take it personally', because I think the younger generation of players coming through, it's changed from the days when I was coming through, we were getting our heads bitten off.
"Sometimes it can come across as a bit aggressive but it's constructive. We just need to work on that balance with the young ones and hopefully we can build."
