SAOIRSE NOONAN knew her goal record had to have her on Carla Ward’s radar — so she asked what it would take to earn a long-awaited recall.
The Celtic striker is back in the Ireland squad for the first time in almost two years after a fantastic season in Scotland that has seen her score 26 goals in 33 games to date.
Included for this week’s Nations League B double-header with Greece, Noonan was overlooked last month against Turkey and Slovenia.
And it led the 25-year-old to make the first move with international chief Ward.
She said: “I spoke to Carla briefly about two weeks after the last camp and just touched base as to how far off or near I was to being called in.
“I didn’t originally want to call but I wanted to see.
“If Carla told me to work on X, Y and Z, then at least I’d have something to focus on.
“I was scoring goals but wasn’t in the squad so I wanted to see what I could do to impress the manager.
“Football is doing the talking for me. Scoring gives me confidence, allowing me to feel that I could ask what Carla wanted from her attackers.
“I didn’t feel like I had the right to before.
“I knew the players ahead of me deserved it but I felt I was in a strong position.
“She was open and honest and I went from there. I knew I had two games left with my club which I really wanted to focus on.”
Two goals in those last two games for the Hoops helped Noonan’s case and she is keen to make her mark.
She added: “Anyone playing professional football wants to make the next step.
“I made the move from the Championship to Celtic because I saw the opportunity of playing in the Champions League.
“I felt it would suit me and I’d score more goals.
“I’m not naive or silly, I know the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are the next step.
“I can only keep doing what I’m doing and it will take time. I’m enjoying this position.
“In the back of my head, this was the step to get back into the Ireland squad. I definitely bring something different to the team. I’m an old-fashioned No 9. We’ll wait and see.”
The Cork native also believes that playing in Scotland should not be a hindrance to a call-up, citing the example of Caitlin Hayes, who played for Celtic and is now with Brighton.
The top women’s teams in Scotland complete 22 rounds of fixtures before the top and bottom six split for the rest of the season.
And Noonan said: “Now that we’re in the split, it’s probably at least or more competitive than the Championship.
“The Championship is super competitive, I’d consider it more competitive than the WSL with their gap.
“It could be any team’s league in the Championship. I watch the girls and there’s four or five teams who could win it.
“It’s similar now in Scotland. I saw the Champions League opportunity and felt the style would better suit me.
“I’d be interested to see how the top five from Scotland would get on in the Championship. They’d give them a run for their money.”
