Leanne Kiernan bidding to walk the walk for Ireland at World Cup after 'learning to use her legs again'

'The best thing was when Amber Barrett scored that goal. Because then I knew I had an end goal to my rehab,' Kiernan said.

ON A JOURNEY: Leanne Kiernan signs autographs for fans after the training. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Fri, 16 Jun, 2023 - 15:46

Brendan O'Brien

Republic of Ireland international Leanne Kiernan has described how she basically had to ‘learn to use her legs again’ as she goes about trying to secure a place in Vera Pauw’s squad for the approaching World Cup.

Kiernan had been a key player for Liverpool when they earned promotion to the WSL in England but disaster struck on the season's opening day just gone when she picked up an ankle injury against Chelsea that all but robbed her of the entire campaign.

Though back training since February, a handful of frustrating setbacks conspired to delay her return to action but that finally happened with an appearance off the bench with just over half an hour to play against Aston Villa just over three weeks ago.

“You need to learn how to use your legs again,” she explained on Friday. “I got my legs pinned back together so you’ve got to learn how to run. Single leg running, it’s a slow process. But you know what? The best thing was when Amber Barrett scored that goal. Because then I knew I had an end goal to my rehab.

“I had a whiteboard in my room with the World Cup dates when we were in camp and I was always working towards that. Some days it’s really hard to get motivated when you’re up on that Wattbike instead of being out on the pitch. But look it, I’m here now.”

Here in this instance was the Belfield Bowl in UCD where the extended Irish squad was putting on an open training session for a large and excited crowd of adults and children, most of them kitted out with green jerseys and flags.

That’s the immediate impact of Barrett’s crucial winning goal against Scotland in Hampden Park last October and Kiernan painted a revealing picture of the efforts it took for her to make it back for this World Cup when recounting her experience of that historic night.

“I was in the cast. I had all the girls kitted out in Ireland jerseys. I cried my eyes out. Happy tears. I was in Liverpool, the family came over as I couldn’t fly. I spent the entire Christmas in the gym. No weekends at home in the past five months. I’d train on the weekends too before the team came in for games.

“It’s a lonely time too. You’re always in about four or five hours before the team and you never really get to see them. It’s just you and weights, you and yourself. But it’s made me mentally tough and I feel like I’m in a really good place now. I feel confident.”

Fresher too. That’s one of the few benefits accrued from her time out. Among the others are the realisation that she can lift much heavier weights in the gym and she has tried to work on her left foot too.

The support of her teammates and the staff at both Liverpool and Ireland helped her through the worst of it but, while her mental strength has improved with all this, she was always the positive sort anyway.

That extends to the job ahead in making the final squad at the end of the month.

“You know, I don’t even think about that right now. I just know that in every training session I will give 110%. If that’s enough, that’s enough. I can only do my best and hope everything else falls into place.”