Player Interview — Emma Byrne

Catherine Etoe meets the Arsenal goalkeeper who has been a mainstay of the defence for thirteen years and a key player for the Republic of Ireland for longer, joining the squad at fifteen and debuting at seventeen. In September Emma Byrne reached a hundred caps, following club-mate Ciara Grant, who she notes got there first and was the first Irish woman to do so. Her family did not travel to Croatia for the milestone, a 1-1 draw she is trying to forget despite a crucial save. She will receive her commemorative cap before facing Germany in April and will give it to her mother. She credits daily training at Arsenal for her development, notes funding cuts hampering the FAI, and says nine league titles is a horrible number to stop at.