Bullish Hayes insists Ireland team 'can go wherever it wants to go'

Celtic defender Caitlin Hayes has only known the good times.

RAINING SUPREME: Caitlin Hayes during the UEFA Women's Nations League B match between Albania and Republic of Ireland at Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkoder, Albania. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

On the back of overcoming water hazards in Albania, Caitlin Hayes feels Ireland can make a splash in the deep end of the Euro qualifiers.

Vera Pauw’s outburst against UEFA last year for establishing what she deemed a system of inequality has vanished from the conversation as Ireland used the League B campaign to restore stability and confidence.

Scotland and Wales, by contrast, have been pummelled in League A.

The first two-thirds of the year was consumed by Ireland’s World Cup odyssey, the long goodbye to Pauw and the consequential recriminations.

Since September, however, it’s all been upbeat.

Caretaker boss Eileen Gleeson, alongside her assistants Colin Healy and Emma Byrne, has imbued a sense of calmness.

Additionally, a first-ever women’s game was held at Aviva Stadium and, most importantly, that marked the start of a four-match winning run.

Celtic defender Hayes has only known the good times.

She declared through her Offaly-born granddad in time for that opener against Northern Ireland and hasn’t missed a minute of action since.

Drama was dodged in the matches against lower-seeded opposition, most recently in the Shkodër downpour on Tuesday when they brushed off a 90-minute half-time delay to nick the win through Denise O’Sullivan’s 88th-minute finish. 

From the thunderstorm has emerged the clarity of realising Ireland will be where they want to be for the Euro 2025 draw to be held in January.

Promotion to League A – with games against Hungary and Northern Ireland to spare – secures their place in the new qualifying format.

Entry to the playoffs for the Switzerland showpiece is assured if they don’t manage to book a direct place by finishing among the top two of their four-nation pool.

"I can't really talk about the past because I wasn't a part of it but this team can go wherever it wants to go,” declared Hayes about what’s in store next year, with the prospect of the top nations visiting Aviva Stadium for more spectacles.

“There is no team that we’d fear – respect them, yeah, but fear none.

“Even in Group A, there is not a team that we would take a step back against.

“It's great to be around new mindsets. They’re mindsets that are aiming to get as high as they can go.

“That is a great mentality to have and it's a great team to be a part of. We work hard for each other and, ultimately, we know what the shirt is worth.” 

Stepping up a level in 2024, striving for a higher one the following year, should avoid the type of farce that greeted them against League B’s lowest seeds in the Balkans.

“Hopefully we don’t get an escapade like that in League A,” added the Scottish Cup winner.

"The weather definitely ruined the quality of the game on Tuesday.

“When you've got Katie McCabe, who is a Ballon d'Or nominee, getting tackled by a puddle, it's pretty bad.”