Ruesha Littlejohn: 'If Séamus Coleman can do it, so can I'

FLYING FORM: Republic of Ireland's Ruesha Littlejohn onboard the team's chartered flight to Grenoble for their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier match against France, on Tuesday. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.

A nine-month gap between her 93rd and 94th caps didn’t diminish Ruesha Littlejohn’s readiness for international battle.

When she incurred a five-match ban for her club Crystal Palace, the naysayers were predicting the veteran’s demise.

Although she was unable to reestablish herself in a team soaring towards promotion – playing just 56 club minutes in 2026 - Ireland boss Carla Ward didn’t lose faith in the midfielder.

The pair have history from their time together at Aston Villa and Birmingham City but the manager was vindicated in thrusting her into the fray against the Netherlands in front of 12,569 at Pairc Uí Chaoimh on Friday.

It didn’t matter that the strength and conditioning experts slapped a 45-minute limit on her participation.

In that first half on the pitch, she fused her trademark disruptive style by instigating a move that led to the opener in a famous 3-2 win.

That victory gives Ireland the opportunity of qualifying for next year’s World Cup by beating table-toppers France in Tuesday’s final qualifier in Grenoble (8pm, Irish time).

Never one to be shy, Littlejohn cited the example of 37-year-old Séamus Coleman to illustrate how age and a paucity of club minutes shouldn’t kill her Ireland career.

"Honestly I find it baffling that people want to write players off because they have not played a lot of minutes,” the Glaswegian said on Sunday ahead of the squad’s departure from Cork airport.

“I would like to have played more minutes, I feel capable of playing more minutes but at the end of the day the manager [Jo Potter] picks her strongest team and I wasn't in the plans, so that's that. Palace got promoted so I can't really complain about it.

"I am 35, Friday is my 94th cap for Ireland, so I don't know why people do not expect me to come in and play 45 minutes. We can do it in our sleep now, as an experienced player.

"If Séamus Coleman can do it, so can I. It's no big deal.

“But people are always looking to know people down but you got to block that out and believe in yourself.”

Littlejohn struck a chord with the public when highlighting long-term technical deficiencies in the aftermath of the crushing Euro playoff defeat to Wales that cost Ward’s predecessor her job. She maintains traditional traits shouldn’t be discarded in conforming to type.

Her skills were honed on the streets, jostling with her male counterparts and she asserts that’s no bad thing.

“I think right now, with the way the game is going and the accessibility that there is, we are going to have a lot more girls playing,” she surmised about the popularity of the women’s game.

“Looking at our squad right now, we have Abbie Larkin, Emily Murphy and Jess Ziu – all technical players, so that is great.

“But it is just for the other young ones coming through to ensure that they are working with the football.

“There was a craze for a while about gym and strength programmes, but you look at the best teams in the world, like Spain and France. They are not obsessed with the gym.

“Yes, they look after their body and get themselves in the right place and stuff like that, they keep fit.

“But there is a lot about how you move and how comfortable you are with the football and I think if we keep going in that direction, we will get there.

“Ireland is a small country and these other nations have a bigger pool of players. As long as everyone keeps working, I will still stand by that training with the lads is always going to be better for you.

“So if you are a young girl and reading this interview make sure you are training with the lads!”