Greencastle's Roma McLaughlin came on as a substitute today as the Republic of Ireland senior women’s tema overcame Czech Republic 2-0 at the Cyprus Cup.
Goals from experienced duo Stephanie Roche and Aine O’Gorman gave the Girls in Green a 2-0 victory on a day when Colin Bell started his tenure as Ireland’s Head Coach.
McLaughlin, who is still a member of the Under-19s, came on as an 80th minute replacement today and will be aiming to get in on the act again in the games against Hungary and Wales.
Today, Ireland absorbed all the pressure the Czechs put them under and sealed the victory with two minutes remaining.
Sub Ruesha Littlejohn found the tireless O’Gorman who found the back of the net off the post from outside the area to seal a fine win for the Irish.
Bell said: “I’m delighted with the performance. The players were a credit to themselves today, they put in so much effort across the pitch for the entire 90 minutes.
“They did everything we asked. They were able to sit back and use the ball well as we’ve got a lot of players at different stages but they all found the level which was required.
“It is just a start for the group but it is a good start. We’ve still got a lot of work to do with a difficult game against Hungary next which means we’ll have to refocus and get to the same levels.”