Pressure on us to qualify for Euros but we’re ready for Ukraine – Littlejohn
THE past is literally a different country for Ruesha Littlejohn. When she was a young girl, Littlejohn dreamed of playing in a major tournament for her country. Scotland, that is, not Ireland. And she did so too, even scoring against the Auld Enemy, England, at a UEFA U-19 tournament in 2008.
But once she graduated to senior level, it’s fair to say there were artistic differences between her and the head coach Anna Signeul.
And so while at Arsenal, a holy Irish trinity of Emma Byrne, Yvonne Tracy and Niamh Fahey suggested to then international coach Sue Ronan that striker Littlejohn, who qualified through maternal grandparents, might be worth a look.
Ronan didn’t need a second glance. She debuted at the 2012 Algarve Cup, scored her first goal at the Cyprus Cup a year later and, tomorrow in Kiev, she will earn her 58th cap as Ireland bid to qualify for UEFA Women’s Euro Championships, due to be held in England in 2022.
“The pressure is on to qualify but we have a lot of support and there is a lot of media attention which is massive for us,” says the muchtravelled player, now with Leicester in the second tier of English football.
“It shows there is a lot of interest in the women’s game and people do care. It’s great for the youth coming through to see that they can play at these tournaments.
“As a young girl, I didn’t get to see that much but now with social media everyone sees it and it’s good for these girls to see that it’s achievable.”
All of her six goals have come away from home and this Glasgow girl is hoping to follow in the footsteps of another famous adopted son of Scotland, Ray Houghton, as they seek the point required to stave off a late Ukrainian charge for an April play-off slot.
“I’m not putting that much pressure on myself,” she smiles.
“That would be lovely, that would be really nice but we need to get the job done. I don’t care who scores. We just want to win the game. It will be a tough ask, it won’t be as straightforward as that.
“Since I’ve been in squads we’ve never really been in this position, so hard-luck stories . . . we have always messed it up a few games into the qualifying tournament. This has been the best one yet.”
Having missed out for two years under Colin Bell, Vera Pauw’s predecessor, Littlejohn appreciates every moment.
“It was hard to not be part of it when squads were being announced and you were on standby, or not even on standby. It was tough, but it made me realise that I had to get back into the squad and I couldn’t throw the toys out of the pram and take the huff.
“I had to keep working and make sure that I got the opportunity again. I’m just grateful to Vera for bringing me back in.
Believing
“You have to keep working and believing that you will get into the squad. It made me appreciate football even more, having that taken from me.
“You can never take it for granted and you always have to be your best and never get complacent. It was probably a good thing for me.
“Vera expects you to train hard and to put 110 per cent effort, same as you would with your club team, and if you’re ready she will bring you into the squad. You can’t get complacent.
“She said that to me and asked if I wanted to come back into the squad and I obviously bit her hand off. It’s just being honest with yourself in this environment. It’s the last chance for quite a few of us so we have the motivation and we have the hunger to try and qualify.
“Hopefully there will be no hardluck stories because we’re ready, and we’re focused. It’s a great position to be in, the pressure is on and we’re ready for it.”