Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward has described as "disgraceful" the online abuse Ruesha Littlejohn has suffered in the aftermath of her red card last weekend.
The 35-year-old, part of Ward's squad for Saturday’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Hungary in Marbella, was given her marching orders while on club duty with Crystal Palace in their 3-0 win over Leicester City in the Women’s League Cup.
Littlejohn received a straight red card for grabbing Foxes player Hannah Cain in a headlock and wrestling her opponent to the ground, which led to other players becoming involved in pushing and shoving at Meadow Lane.
The experienced international is anxiously awaiting her fate, with the possibility of a lengthy ban on the cards.
Speaking to the media ahead of the international friendly, Littlejohn said that while she hadn’t contacted Cain in the aftermath, she holds her hands up for her over-the-top reaction during the game.
"I regret letting my emotions spill over on the pitch," she told RTÉ Sport. "I'm probably quite an emotional person and player.
"I'm gutted that that spilled into the game. That's not who I want to be on the pitch.
Littlejohn, who joined the Eagles earlier this year after a brief stint at Shamrock Rovers, has Ireland team-mates Abbie Larkin and Hayley Nolan for company at Palace and said support from family and friends has helped her through a difficult week.
"I'm surrounded by good people and they've helped me through a tough week," she said.
"Obviously, they've (Larkin and Nolan) checked in on me. I've had a lot of support. Hopefully, it's all dealt with properly."
Littlejohn isn’t contesting the red card and a three-game suspension, but has stated in her defence that there wasn’t any intention to harm her opponent and is hoping that will mitigate against a sterner ban.
Asked for her thoughts on the incident, the Ireland head coach admitted that Littlejohn let her emotions take over before calling out the online abuse that has come the player’s way.
"I've had her at two clubs (Birmingham City and Aston Villa) and for the national team," Ward said.
"Ruesha is somebody I've admired as a person throughout my entire time of working with her. She's someone that's unbelievable for the environment, somebody that wears a heart on her sleeve.
"She's acknowledged it was a moment that, you know, she deeply regrets.
"The one thing that I don't like is the outpouring of abuse on social media. In my opinion, that has been a disgrace.
"When do we ever learn? When do we learn that, you know, battering people in that way, it doesn't end well.
Littlejohn enjoys a larger media profile than many other players and hosts 'The Ruesha and Shebahn Show’ on YouTube.
Earlier this month her comments in relation to English international Hannah Hampton, whom she said could be a "pain in the a***", caused something of a stir.
Hampton and Littlejohn both played for Aston Villa and were also briefly team-mates at Birmingham City during the second half of the 2020-21 campaign.
"I know I'm a bit of a character and some people might not like that, but that's what happens when you put yourself online and put yourself on podcasts," Littlejohn says of the furore regarding Hampton.
"I'm going to want to, after football, probably stay in media, do podcasts, do YouTube. think if people watched what I had said about Hannah Hampton, I'm full of praise for her, she’s a fantastic goalkeeper.
"You can pick out lines and sort of use it for clickbait. I think that's what's been on there.
"I don't think I'm a bad person."
