Omission in early years fueling Diane Caldwell to earn crack at World Cup
Republic of Ireland's Diane Caldwell. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Talk of a World Cup playoff in October fuels Ireland’s women’s team but Diane Caldwell’s memories of the only such previous occasion in 2008 strike a nerve.
“I wasn't a part of that squad against Iceland because I’d been banished from the team after a falling-out with Noel King,” notes the defender, set to win her 86th cap in Monday’s qualifier in Georgia.
“It was only changed when Sue Ronan came into the job in 2010. She had been my underage manager, brought me back straight away and said, “You should never have been out”.
Individually and collectively, it’s grating to wonder how things might have been different.
Caldwell had been a teen star of King’s team since making her debut in 2006, only for him to take umbrage over her unavailability for the World Student Games in Bangkok.
Agreement had been reached with her club, Hofstra University, on releases for Ireland duty but the student games – an All-Island team – fell outside the FAI’s umbrella.
When the American outfit refused to grant Caldwell permission to travel to Thailand, the player got caught in the crossfire.
King’s refusal to pick her thereafter robbed Caldwell of 27 potential caps. On her competitive return in 2011, Ireland began their Euro campaign with a 2-0 victory in Wales, a game recalled for the goalscoring debut of Denise O’Sullivan.
By now, the 33-year-old should be part of the centurion club, ahead of current teammates Niamh Fahey (103), Aine O'Gorman (111) as well as the retired Ciara Grant (105) and closer to record-holder Emma Byrne (134).
Who knows too whether Ireland’s defence could have benefited from her presence in Reykjavik as their Euro dream skidded off course in the second leg on a frozen pitch.
All those maybes accumulate into a drive to avoid another big tournament near-miss later this year. Seven points from their three remaining qualifiers, beginning next Monday against the minnows they hockeyed 11-0 in November, would shuttle them a couple of playoffs away from the 2023 World Cup.
“Yeah,” Caldwell responds when asked if her omission from the tilt all of 14 years ago heightens her motivation.
“Finishing second and getting the playoff is our expectation as a group, now that Sweden are guaranteed to stay top.
“While the playoff spot is still achievable, we haven't gotten there yet. There are still three games left and we haven't done anything yet.” Missing out on reaching the Euros will be crystalised when the tournament kicks off in a fortnight. That the opening game between hosts England and Austria is at the ground she spent the second half of last season only magnifies the sense of regret.
Vera Pauw’s side blew their qualification prospects by failing to accrue the point in Kyiv against a Ukrainian side they’d already beaten at Tallaght.
“Of course, that's a bitter moment,” the Balbriggan native says about watching on as her Manchester United teammates checked out of club duty with a spring in their step towards the showpiece.
“You think, 'Oh, we should be there. It's in England and the first game is at Old Trafford,' but it wasn't meant to be for whatever reason.
“All we can do is learn from the past and implement that going forward now because we know what's at stake.” Caldwell and her teammates won’t admit to it but Georgia is a gimme at any time of the year. Those stakes she speaks off centre on the final double-header against Finland and Slovakia in the first week of September.
Where she’s operating at club level by then is uncertain but it appears her lifelong ambition of lining out of United will transpire to be a brief one.
Recruited on the final day of the January transfer window from North Carolina Courage, she made eight starts.
“I played every 90 minutes from when I arrived till I got injured,” she points out, though confessing her short-term deal had yet to be extended.
“I cherished every minute that I was at United. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.
“I never thought it would be possible to play for United given they didn’t have a women’s team until recent times but it was an amazing achievement for me personally.
“I said that going into that experience that whatever happens long term, happens. However, I've realised my dream and no one can ever take that away from me.” Neither can she be denied the success of her club stints in America, Germany and Norway.
Adding an international tournament to her CV would go a long way to ridding recollections of her Ireland exile.
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