Republic of Ireland assistant head coach Alan Mahon says "the plan is in place" if Carla Ward has to miss the upcoming UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium.
Ward was absent from Wednesday's press conference at Tallaght Stadium due to what the FAI described as "a family emergency". A spokesperson for the association said they will "wait and see" how Ward's situation unfolds, with Mahon stepping into fulfil media duties.
"The players will drive it," Mahon said when asked if how he'd feel if asked to lead the team next week.
"The way we've worked it, nothing will change. The plan is in place, we just have to make sure we execute it. It’s no change, to be honest."
The Girls in Green are aiming to return to League A of the Nations League when they square up to the Belgians, ranked 20th in the world. Goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan is out with a knee injury, with Megan Connolly and Leanne Kiernan also sidelined.
In better news, Jess Ziu and Jamie Finn return after lengthy lay-offs with ACL injuries.
Mahon also allayed any fears star pair Katie McCabe and Denise O'Sullivan might be rusty, McCabe finding herself out of favour at Arsenal recently and O'Sullivan missing a chunk of games at North Carolina Courage due to a knee issue.
"Denise is a Duracell battery, she can run all day," he said. "She's fit as a fiddle, especially playing for Ireland as well she’ll always put that extra yard in, and the same with Katie. I went to watch Katie there the other week against City. Again, fit as fiddles. There’s no worries in that area."
Friday week's opening leg will be in the Aviva, as Ireland return to Lansdowne Road for the first time since last December's painful 2-1 loss to Wales in the Euro 2025 play-off final.
Interest is unlikely to be as high for this contest, with Mahon airing his desire to "get bums on seats" for a rare outing at the stadium.
"It's my debut, I’ve never been to the Aviva. My kids have gone, but I’ve not gone. It’s only the fifth time, I think, that the girls have played there. We have to try and get bums on seats.
"That’s the most important thing from now until the game. We want a big atmosphere. When you get the crowd behind you, it massively helps. Hopefully, we get the bums on seats and get a few people going to the game for us.
"Belgium are a strong team but when you get to these play-offs, there are always going to be strong teams. Regardless of whatever injuries they have, we will focus on our game-plan and then we will go from there."
On a more sombre note, Mahon took the opportunity to pay tribute to former Liverpool manager Matt Beard (pictured above), who passed away last month.
Beard was a hugely popular figure in the women's game, and positively impacted several Irish players, including Niamh Fahey - his captain at Liverpool, Leanne Kiernan (he signed the striker twice), and Ruesha Littlejohn, who played under Beard at West Ham.
"He was a good friend, he was a good friend," added ex-Manchester City coach Mahon.
"A fantastic guy and actually one of the trailblazers in women's football, for the men. Because when people thought it was unfashionable to be in women’s football, he drove it and opened the door for a lot of us to ask whether we can help to improve the game.
"Can we drive it as well? So he was there from the very start. A lovable man, a really, really good guy. It’s a hard one to get your head around so condolences to all his friends and family."
UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE PROMOTION / RELEGATION PLAY-OFF
First Leg: Republic of Ireland v Belgium, Friday 24 October, Aviva Stadium, 7pm (Live on RTÉ2 / RTÉ Player)
Second Leg: Belgium v Republic of Ireland, Tuesday 28 October, Den Dreef, Leuven, 7.30pm (Live on RTÉ2 / RTÉ Player)
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Grace Moloney (Sunderland), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic), Katie Keane (Leicester City)
Defenders: Heather Payne (Leicester City), Aoife Mannion (Newcastle United), Jessie Stapleton (Nottingham Forest – on loan), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Nottingham Forest), Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Izzy Atkinson (Sunderland)
Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Ruesha Littlejohn (Crystal Palace), Jamie Finn (Sunderland), Tyler Toland (Durham), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Jess Ziu (Bristol City – on loan from West Ham), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Emily Murphy (Newcastle United), Saoirse Noonan (Celtic)
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