Soccer

Courtney Brosnan excited by daunting challenge of facing France and England

Republic of Ireland and Everton goalkeeper has silenced the doubters with her fine form for club and country

Courtney Brosnan in action for the Republic of Ireland during the World Cup clash with hosts Australia. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

Mary Hannigan
Thu Apr 4 2024 - 06:00

Courtney Brosnan has had her fair share of doubters through the course of her career, but she smiles when reminded that Emma Byrne was, perhaps, the most high profile of them.

And having been the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper for over 20 years, winning a record 134 caps along the way, Byrne’s opinion carried lots of weight.

In advance of the last World Cup qualifying campaign, in her role as a pundit, she insisted that Megan Walsh should be the first-choice Irish goalkeeper. Her chief concern at that stage was the lack of game time Brosnan was getting at Everton, whereas Walsh was starting week in, week out for Brighton.

Come the end of an outstanding campaign by Brosnan, Byrne held her hands up and admitted the New Jersey native had proven her wrong. So wrong, in fact, Brosnan became the first Irish goalkeeper to win the FAI’s Player of the Year award since Byrne 10 years before.

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And who has become Brosnan’s Republic of Ireland goalkeeping coach? Yep, Byrne.

Did the air have to be cleared when she arrived as part of Eileen Gleeson’s coaching team? Brosnan laughs off the notion.

“We’re all professionals and we know that people in the media are just doing their job. And it’s their job to have opinions and say what they want to say. I would never take anything anyone says personally, and I don’t think anyone else in the squad does either.

“Emma was a great player, an absolute legend and her name speaks for itself. And she’s really funny, so she’s someone you can have jokes with – and I had to give her a bit! But I think she’s my number one fan.

“We’ve had a lot of discussions about how good she thinks I am and can be, so it’s great to have someone like that in your corner. She’s provided a wealth of knowledge since she came in, and she’s open and honest.”

And just to show how quickly fortunes can turn in football, Brosnan has since established herself as Everton’s number one, holding off the challenge of former England underage international Emily Ramsey, while Walsh has dropped out of the Irish squad having struggled for game time this season at West Ham.

Courtney Brosnan: 'We’re all really excited for it [facing France and England]. We’ve had the experience of playing big teams in massive moments, like Australia in a sold-out stadium at the World Cup.' Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

And having firmly established herself as Ireland No 1 under Vera Pauw and now Gleeson, her caps total at 34, Brosnan is in the most consistent phase of her career.

It has, though, been a grind of a season with Everton, Brosnan busier in more games than she’d like to be. They’re currently third from bottom of the WSL and with the men’s side facing a relegation battle and the club in turmoil off the pitch too with a never-ending takeover saga, it’s not the happiest of times on Merseyside.

“But when you play football, there are only certain things you can control,” says the 28-year-old.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on off the pitch but it doesn’t really affect us. There are people at the club diligently working to solve the problems and figure out the takeover, so you just hope for the best, for the future, because Everton is a great club and I’ve loved every minute that I’ve been there.

“But yeah, it’s been a frustrating season. I think we’ve been playing really good football, but we’ve just not been able to get the results. We’ve had tons of injuries, illnesses, etc, we’ve had a bare bones squad all season. But these things happen in football, you just have to get on with it.”

The one bright spark in it all has been the form of Brosnan’s Irish team-mate Heather Payne, who was signed last summer after graduating from Florida State University.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Heather. We’ve all known for a while how good a player she is, but she has taken stepping in to the WSL, one of the best leagues in the world, in her stride and proved that she belongs there. Week in and week out, she’s putting in really good performances, I’m so proud of her. She’s a really good friend of mine, although she probably gets tired of me talking all the time.”

Brosnan’s contract is up at the end of this season and as yet she doesn’t know what the future holds.

“I’m in discussions with Everton, for now I’m just trying to focus on the football and figure things out as we go.”

But she would very much like to play in their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium which is nearing completion.

“It’s right outside my apartment, so I see it being built every day, which is funny. The parking is going to be a nightmare,” she laughs, “but of course, I’d love to play there one day.”

For now, her sole focus is on the upcoming Euro 2025 qualifying games against France and England. Daunting, certainly, but she’s looking forward to the challenge.

“We’re all really excited for it. We’ve had the experience of playing big teams in massive moments, like Australia in a sold-out stadium at the World Cup. That gives you the confidence that you’ve been there before and you can handle it. And after qualifying for the World Cup, this is where we want to be, testing ourselves against the very best.”

Meanwhile, Peamount United’s Erin McLaughlin has been added to the Ireland squad for the two upcoming games. The midfielder, who has been capped three times, joined up with the squad on Wednesday morning before they departed for France.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times

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