Tyler Toland and the Republic of Ireland Women’s Under-17s qualified for the UEFA Women’s Under 17 European Championships following a 1-0 win over Hungary in Belgrade today.
The win means that the Irish girls have topped their Elite Qualifiers group and now advance to the finals.
Toland played every minute this week, in the win over Serbia and a draw with Scotland, before today’s game, when Dave Bell’s team secured the win they needed to qualify.
St Johnston woman Toland is joined in the team by captain Tiegan Ruddy, who has strong family connections in Culdaff.
A single goal from Heather Payne on 13 minutes proved to be enough for Ireland to claim the win that they needed, but they were the more dominant of the two sides and that was a common trend throughout their qualifying campaign.
“It is a fantastic achievement,” beamed Bell after the win. “The girls worked so hard and the dedication that they gave to these qualifiers is testament to their attitude and also their quality.
“To qualify as group winners makes it even more enjoyable. We had to work hard to get the win because Hungary gave us a good game and I have to give credit to them because they are a very good side.
“We have had so many players step up in this qualifying campaign, but I can’t praise our captain, Tiegan Ruddy, enough and also Sadhbh Doyle and Heather Payne. Those three girls guided the younger girls through and they were a big help to me.
“The new Senior Women’s Head Coach, Colin Bell, was here watching the girls and I think he was impressed with their play. Now, I’m hoping that they can go to the tournament and show Europe what they can do.
“I believe this is a special group of players and they fully deserve to have made it through to the finals tournament.”
Including their Qualifying Round games, this Ireland team played six times, won five, drew one, scored 14 goals, conceded one, and twice topped their group. It is a remarkable achievement by the players, the management, and all of the backroom staff.
The draw for finals tournament will take place on April 7, while the main event will be staged in Czech Republic from May 2-14.
