REDS BOSS HAILS KIERNAN’S RETURN TO SCORING FORM FOOTBALL SHORTS

LIVERPOOL manager Matt Beard says ‘this is the best Leanne Kiernan’ he has seen after the Ireland striker scored her first goal for the club in a year, following a difficult spell with injury. The Cavan native (right) found the net for the Reds in a 3-1 win over her former club West Ham on St Patrick’s Day and said that it was a reward for all her hard work coming back from her ankle and foot injuries. ‘It’s an ideal weekend, on Paddy’s weekend too! I can’t complain at all,’ Kiernan told the club website. ‘I worked for the last five months to get back into the starting XI. It’s been amazing, I’ve really enjoyed it. My family is up in the crowd there, so it was really nice to celebrate with them. I dreamt of a start like this, so I’ll take it for sure. It’s nice playing my old club and getting the win.’ Reds boss Beard, who also worked with Kiernan at West Ham, said he was thrilled to see the Ireland international score. ‘It’s the best thing that’s come out of today. Things like that, setback after setback, this is actually the best Leanne Kiernan I’ve ever seen on a football pitch,’ he said. ‘A lot of that is from watching different players, like (Katie) Stengel, (Shanice) van de Sanden. If I look at her gameunderstanding now, it’s the best it’s ever been.’ The win over the Hammers boosted Liverpool’s hopes of finishing in the top four.

BRENDAN RODGERS believes Mikey Johnston’s stunning form at West Bromwich Albion is evidence he could still have a long-term future at Parkhead. Since moving to West Brom on loan last month, the 24-yearold winger has scored six goals in 10 games for Carlos Corberan’s side to help them climb into the promotion play-off places. ‘Listen, the shirt is a different weight when you leave Celtic,’ said Rodgers. ‘But Mikey has always shown he has the talent. ‘He is doing brilliantly at West Brom. Hopefully he continues with that and we can look at it again in the summer.’