JESSIE Stapleton reflected on a schoolboy match where she marked Evan Ferguson while detailing her path in football.
The Dubliner was speaking after supplying a sublime assist to Kyra Carusa as Ireland sealed a 9-0 aggregate triumph over Georgia.
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In the RTE studio afterwards she was quizzed about one match-up from her days lining out in schoolboy football.
She said: “I was playing for Cherry Orchard in an All-Ireland final but I played the year up.
“And I ended up marking Evan Ferguson!”
RTE Sport presenter Marie Crowe then noted that ordinarily girls would’ve been playing with boys a year younger than them rather than a year older.
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She asked Stapleton what ‘the secret’ was to keeping the leading light of Irish men’s football quiet.
Laughing, the 19-year-old played down her efforts: “He’s a big guy!
“I don’t even know (what the secret was) as it was years ago, I couldn’t tell you.
“But I think back then we were all just footballers.
“No one had a big name or anything but fair play to him as he’s gone on to do amazing things. He’s a credit to himself.”
She was later asked about her career route up til now which has led to her joining West Ham – with her loaned out to Sunderland for this season after a similarly temporary stint at Reading last campaign.
The versatile ace explained: “Yeah so I had a short spell at Shamrock Rovers – played U17s in the League of Ireland with them.
“Then I moved across the city to Shelbourne to play senior football there.
“That was the best two and a half years in Ireland, it was class.”
Often times Irish football fans hear tales of homesickness from male Irish footballers in their early days.
Crowe and Stapleton agreed it’s a similar issue in the women’s game with the bulk of the Ireland squad still plying their trade in England.
She recalled: “When I first moved over I got homesick.
“I remember there were a few nights where I was ringing home saying ‘I think I might have to come back’.
“But when you have the right people around you they remind you that it’s your dream and you’re over there for a reason.
“Now I’m absolutely loving it.”