'They had ice skates on their feet and we didn’t' - O'Gorman returns to the cusp of major tournament qualification 

VETERAN: Áine O'Gorman during a Republic of Ireland Women media day at Castleknock Hotel in Dublin. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

From trying to break ice on the pitch to quickening the glacial pace of professionalising Irish women’s football, Áine O’Gorman has witnessed plenty since her last tournament playoff.

She was merely a teenager when Ireland trekked to Reykjavik in 2008, 90 minutes away from the Euros but got caught in the freeze of sub-zero temperatures.