Centurion Sarah McFadden is back in the Northern Ireland Women’s squad for the UEFA Women’s Nations League play-off against Iceland.
McFadden, who has 106 caps and nine goals for her country, was last in the squad for a Nations League game against Montenegro in February 2024.
Since then she has recovered from a long-term injury and given birth to her second child. The 38-year-old defender returned to full-time training and playing with her club, WSL 2 outfit Durham, last month.
Northern Ireland, who were last in action back in May in Nations League Group B1, are set to battle it out with Iceland over two legs for a place in League A in the next edition of the competition.
The first game is being staged at Ballymena Showgrounds on Friday 24 October (7pm), with the return leg at Laugardalsvöllur Stadium in Reykjavik on Tuesday 28 October.
Manager Tanya Oxtoby has made several changes to the squad that secured the Nations League play-off with a draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in May.
She has named two newcomers in Leyla McFarland and Mia Moore, the former a 25-year-old striker from Durham, while Glentoran midfielder Moore has netted 12 goals in 27 appearances for the Glens this season.
Toni-Leigh Finnegan, Kerry Beattie and Casey Howe all make long-awaited returns.
Oxtoby told irishfa.com: “It’s exciting. We have a very young group this time around who are all very excited to be part of the set-up. We’ve done a lot of work in the background to make sure they feel ready when they come in.
“It’s a massive window for us, but more importantly it’s a great challenge to see where some of our younger players are.”
“Play-offs are always going to be a challenge but I think for us it’s not about the result as such, it’s about the process and seeing where we are against what is a really strong Iceland side.
Captain Simone Magill is sidelined with a hip issue, also injured are Laura Rafferty, Brenna McPartlan, Ellie Mason and Connie Scofield, while Demi Vance and Kelsie Burrows are unavailable, Rachel Furness and Rachel Dugdale have both recently retired.
Tickets for the match in Ballymena are still available at irishfa.com/tickets.
The 24-strong squad for the two play-off games is as follows:
Goalkeepers – Jackie Burns (Calgary Wild), Maddy Harvey-Clifford (Crusaders Strikers), Kate Smith (Lisburn Rangers).
Defenders – Rebecca Holloway and Rebecca McKenna (both Birmingham City), Sarah McFadden (Durham ), Abi Sweetlove (Linfield), Toni-Leigh Finnegan (Aberdeen), Natalie Johnson (Nottingham Forest).
Midfielders – Nadene Caldwell, Aimee Kerr and Mia Moore (all Glentoran), Louise McDaniel (Burnley), Joely Andrews (Hearts), Megan Bell (Linfield), Caragh Hamilton (Nottingham Forest).
Forwards – Lauren Wade and Keri Halliday (both Hearts), Emily Wilson and Kascie Weir (both Glentoran), Danielle Maxwell (Burnley), Casey Howe (Nottingham Forest), Kerry Beattie (Aberdeen, on loan from Hearts) Leyla McFarland (Durham).