Ireland flier Heather Payne is 'an easy one to root for' - even at centre-half

Galway's Heather Payne was one of the stars of a big week for the Irish women's soccer team. Her American college coach hailed a selfless talent

26 October 2021; Heather Payne of Republic of Ireland in action against Emma Koivisto of Finland during the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 qualifying group A match between Finland and Republic of Ireland at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Reckon Pep Guardiola has a taste for refurbing a footballer in an unfamiliar position? Well, Mark Krikorian played Heather Payne centre-half.

Rated one of the top college coaches in the USA, Krikorian has managed the Florida State Seminoles women’s soccer setup since 2005, winning national championships in 2014 and 2018. He also put Irish internationals Megan Connolly (2015-18) and Megan Campbell (2013-16) through the programme.