Can they produce another fairytale?

By Stephen Findlater

And on it goes. For 10 days now, the Irish women’s seem to continually playing the biggest game of their lives, the biggest since the sport’s formation on the island in 1892.

Saturday brings a first ever World Cup semi-final, a rare thing for Irish sport of any code or any gender, and

Graham Shaw’s side are well aware there will never be a better chance to medal as they take on Spain at 2pm in Lee Valley.

The draw has opened up invitingly at every stage for the second lowest ranked side, most recently holding their nerve to beat India on Thursday in a shoot-out.

Spain, though, represent an unexpected and very different challenge to what has gone before.

Previously, Ireland have sat comfortably in the underdog tag, fighting against more monied, full-time programmes, and producing the goods.

Spain, though, are on their own epic adventure and employ pretty much the same methods of the Green Army, squeezing the most out of workers and students with a smattering of players lucky enough to get full-time contracts abroad.

Because of this, they play each other often, very often — 26 times since 2013 with Spain the warm-weather training base of preference.

Ireland have won nine of those, Spain 13, and they shared four matches in January this year, showing the margins will be paper-thin.

For sides ranked world number 11 and 16, this is dreamland and while Spain have more stock at the top table — they won their home Olympics in 1992 — this is a rare opportunity for them, too.

It is certainly the opponent Ireland would have picked of the remaining semi-finalists, the Netherlands looking like they are going to bash everyone en route to an eighth title while Australia look the next best thing.

Indeed, there is a sense that winning a silver could be easier than a bronze.

Can Ireland dare to dream yet again?