Deirdre Duke: England loss won't derail Ireland momentum

For the Irish women’s hockey team it was keeping focus that was missing during a 5-1 defeat to England

Ayeisha McFerran, Roisin Upton, Lena Tice, and Deirdre Duke pictured on the day they collected their Olympic kit. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The ability to keep your head when things go awry is a key skill in top-level sport, and for the Irish women’s hockey team it was exactly what was missing during a 5-1 defeat to England at last month’s EuroHockey Championships.

But rather than allow it derail the momentum that has carried them to their first Olympics, that game offered up a useful lesson.