Paul Fennessy

TUESDAY’S WORLD CUP playoff against Scotland will be arguably the biggest game Irish international Courtney Brosnan has ever been involved in, but it is not the only high-profile occasion in which she has lined out recently.

The 26-year-old played for Everton at Anfield last month, as just under 28,000 fans turned out — a new record for Liverpool’s Women’s team.

Brosnan looks back fondly on the experience, particularly as she helped the team secure a 3-0 victory against their arch-rivals.

“It was amazing… Such a great experience,” she tells reporters. “Such a great atmosphere, put in such a good team performance and great to keep a clean sheet and get the win.

“Honestly, the atmosphere was great, the away end was packed out. It was very special to play in front of it, to be sure.”

Yet it wasn’t necessarily enough to secure Brosnan the number-one spot at Everton.

Last season, she was the second choice to Sandy MacIver, who has since signed for Manchester City.

This year, she looks set to battle it out with Emily Ramsey — who joined on loan from Manchester United for the duration of the season back in August — for the Toffees’ goalkeeping jersey.

Of their three WSL games so far, Brosnan has played two, though Ramsey was preferred by new Everton manager Brian Sørensen in the most recent match — a 1-0 win over Leicester City.

So will it be a case of more rotation between the two players from now until the end of the season?

“It has been nice having Brian in and he is a very open and honest guy, so it has been nice to have these conversations with him about the direction that he wants to take,” says Brosnan. “I am just trying to focus on myself like I have been doing, put in the performances and get more playing time.

“It has been nice to have a bit more stability and see the direction and what Brian wants from us. A big thing from him is that he wants us while we are building to be competing in every game for the 90 minutes, showing ourselves that we can stick with all the teams in the league and show what we are made of.” 

For Ireland, however, Brosnan has firmly established herself as number one.

There have been setbacks along the way, notably, a mistake in the pivotal 2022 Euros qualifier against Ukraine amid an Aine O’Gorman own goal that severely dented Ireland’s hopes of progression.

There was subsequently talk of Brighton’s Megan Walsh or Reading’s Grace Moloney potentially coming into the starting XI in her place.

However, like the team in general, Brosnan has grown in confidence since that difficult time — starting all Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers so far — and attributes positive self-talk as one of the reasons for her improvement.

“With a goalkeeper, so much of it is physical but so much of it is mental and the way you talk to yourself and self-talk, things like that, that has been really important for me to have that inner belief and have that positive self-talk to get me in the best headspace to perform and do my best for the team. 

“I think it is a bit learned. Obviously playing at such a high level, we are hard-wired to be tough on ourselves as elite athletes and know how important it is to build yourself up, kind of instil that confidence in yourself.

“It is even more important as a goalkeeper to have that positive self-talk and have that foundation that you can believe in yourself and you are confident to do the job because it can be a bit more vulnerable.

“I think that is something that is important for me, be the backbone for the girls in the back and exude that confidence. They know that I am there backing me up and vice versa. I think that is important. I am a big communicator on the pitch, keeping that positive energy and keeping the back line and the team going, which has been important to me.”

Brosnan and her teammates have backed up these positive statements with impressive performances. After a rocky period encompassing a seven-game losing run, just over a year ago, the defeat of Australia in Tallaght — a side ranked 22 places above them at the time — felt like a turning point.

That may have been a friendly, but they have maintained that level ever since in competitive matches, notably a win away to Finland and a draw in Gothenburg against Sweden, who were ranked second in the world at the time.

“I think we are talking about that self-belief and inner belief, we really have that belief in ourselves as a squad that we know what we are capable of — so I think for this campaign, it has been big to show that, not just that we believe it but show it in the results in the game.”

And have qualities like game management and slowing down the play being key to Ireland’s newfound maturity too?

“All of those things, that knowledge of what the game calls for — if the game is calling for things to slow down or speed up and get a goal, it is just having that football IQ, players on the team who do have a great footballing brain and it is just that communication in getting that across. And maybe in the past, we would be a bit nervous and just clear balls but now we are confident and able to keep possession.”

On her own development, she adds: “I think you always have to be vocal as a goalkeeper and that is something I have always tried to focus on. But as time has gone on and I have matured, and maybe solidified myself a bit more, maybe you get more authority and build those relationships and that trust, so it is easier to be more vocal and more demanding of the players.”

Brosnan says she has also benefitted from working with a sports psychologist, both at Everton currently and in a previous stint with West Ham.

“It is a combination of group and individual [sessions] and as an individual, you can choose what you want to do, and how important it is to you. I have realised how beneficial it has been for me, and how it has helped my game on and off the pitch. It is something I definitely try to take advantage of.”

The mental aspect of football could be especially pronounced on Tuesday if the game goes to penalties, and Brosnan says she and her teammates are well prepared for that possibility.

“I have been involved in a fair few [shootouts], we are definitely preparing for that. Looking at that in training and being ready to be the best we can be for Tuesday.

“I don’t know if I can remember [my record in shootouts]. I had a lot when I was younger, in high school and college, which I think went well, if I can remember.

“We had a shoot-out at West Ham and beat Brighton in the cup a couple of years ago. I saved two if I remember correctly.”

And would she also consider stepping up to take a penalty? On that question, the goalkeeper is noncommital: “I guess we will have to see what happens.”