Amber Barrett content at potential role as Ireland's World Cup 'supersub'

AMBER MEANS GO: Jamie Finn and Amber Barrett during a Republic of Ireland training session. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

When the Ireland squad amble along the lush turf of the 82,000-capacity Stadium Australia for the first time on Wednesday night, Amber Barrett will pick a spot for her goal celebration.

That’s not being audacious, merely consistent with her belief of positive manifestation.

She knows the latest classic intervention must occur off the bench but is by now reconciled with the tag of supersub many before her despised.

Within Vera Pauw’s predicted team, Kyra Carusa is the centrepiece of the attack but Plan B game-changers are engrained in Irish football.

Both the goal that sealed qualification for the 1994 World Cup – volleyed by the late Alan McLoughlin at Windsor Park – and what seemed a consolation by John Aldridge against Mexico, yet ultimately shaded their progress into the knockout stages in America, came from subs.

Barrett’s strike in similar circumstances at Hampden Park last October added a women’s dimension into the annals of Irish tournament history.

Her celebration transcended sport and society, kneeling and pointing the black armband to commemorate those who’d perished in the Creeslough community her Grandmother hailed from.

What odds then of her the Donegal woman replicating her heroics at a higher stage, before a record crowd and millions watching worldwide on television?

Australian sensation Sam Kerr has competition when it comes to goalscoring contenders.

“It’s funny how your mind works and the different scenarios you visualise,” she pondered, sitting in the lobby of the squad’s Emporium Hotel Brisbane base.

Barrett who previously played with DCU Soccer.

“You can visualise all you want that moment of scoring but rarely do you visualise what happens.

“They say positive manifestation is so important and I have visualised myself scoring hundreds of goals.

“If I have scored all the goals I have thought about, I would be the poster-girl and Sam Kerr wouldn’t be the poster-girl. Yet that’s not the way it works.

“But it is important to have that mindset that you can see yourself scoring. If you have that, anything is possible.” That attitude seems to be enshrined in their obscure sponsorship hashtag of Outbelieve.

While the Matildas are one of the favourites to lift the trophy on home soil on August 20, Ireland have already conquered them, albeit in a friendly two years ago.

What’s more pertinent to the argument for hope is the fact Ireland have scored first in every competitive game outside the country since their Euro hopes crumbled in Kiev 21 months ago. They’ve lost none of those five.

Katie McCabe did strike the bar from the penalty that night in Ukraine but eight months later was spot on with her accuracy away to Sweden, the Olympic silver medalists situated further up the FIFA rankings than the Aussies.

Ireland are Down Under to compete and Barrett feels blessed to be part of the squad, given club form in Germany during the assessment period lost her some ground. That doubt was removed when her flair for rescue remedies was reproduced with a brace in the friendly against Zambia three weeks ago.

“Of course I want to start but involvement is the most important thing,” reasons the forward who recently moved from Bundesliga outfit Turbine Potsdam to Belgian side Standard Liege.

“People feel a wee bit insecure about the supersub label but it doesn’t bother me one bit. Six of my seven Ireland goals have been scored off the bench.

“I will keep striving to be the striker that she (Pauw) wants to start, but if I can’t do that, I will make sure that I am ready to go when called upon.

“Maybe I am completely wrong but when during analysis does opposition talk about potential players coming off the bench. I like being underestimated.

“Australia won’t be showing a power-point presentation to their players in which I am front and centre but that’s fine. I think it is better when teams don’t expect anything from me because then I can be a thorn in their side.” Ireland’s history maker is living evidence of every rose having its thorn.