Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ireland head coach Carla Ward and assistant head coach Alan Mahon.Ryan Byrne/INPHO FreeReaction 'They’ve played a certain way for many years so it does take time' - Ireland boss Ward Carla Ward pleased with Greek double and targetting Nations League promotion, one way or another. 11.05pm, 8 Apr 2025 Share options Reports from Tallaght Stadium WORK DONE, MORE to do. That was the message from Carla Ward after Ireland completed the Greek double and made it back-to-back wins for the first time under her watch. Ireland followed up Friday’s 4-0 win in Crete with a patchy 2-1 victory at Tallaght Stadium tonight; Amber Barrett and Anna Patten with the goals early in each half before the lowly Greeks pulled one back to set up a nervy finish. Slovenia remain the frontrunners in Nations League B Group 2, but Ireland are firmly in the hunt for promotion. “Look, I think we were in complete control and they scored that goal which probably gave us a few nervy minutes where I think a little bit of work (is needed) with managing moments,” said Ward. “But overall, two wins from two, six goals across the two games, we’ve got to take that massive belief and confidence into the final two games.” The win was achieved without suspended captain and creator-in-chief Katie McCabe, with Megan Campbell lining out at left-back and Patten’s goal coming off her corner. Advertisement The other was a ninth-minute penalty from Amber Barrett, fortuitously awarded for a foul outside the box. Set-pieces have been an area of focus, Ward says, Ireland pleased to have profited from some across the double-header. “Against Slovenia we were really disappointing. We had 17 attacking corners and did nothing with them. When we came into camp we knew this was an area. Mahony [Alan Mahon, assistant head coach] has done a lot of work in the classroom and on the pitch with them. “The girls were delighted (to score). I won’t tell you what but he has made a promise to them that every time they score. He is going to be out of pocket, safe to say.” “Katie always makes a difference but whether she plays or not, the second-half on Friday, you saw a lot of that tonight,” the English coach added, playing down the absence of McCabe. “Actually it shows the players fully understand what we are trying to do. We have 23 top players that can play and that was really positive.” Ward also highlighted the improvements needed on her front-footed, attacking based plan. Ireland are playing a new 4-3-3 system, having generally deployed a back three/five in the past. “I love attacking play, so there is a lot of work still to do. They’ve played a certain way for many, many years so it does take time. I’m that annoying mum, big sister, call it what you want, I’m at them every day. “They’re top players, elite players, I believe we can play in that way, it’s just embedding into their heads because they’ve done a lot of defending over the years and it is a little bit different. “[My philosophy] is exciting to play and exciting to watch — yes, we’ll probably concede some along the way because of the way we play but we’ve got to keep believing, keep moving forward. “It’s a bigger job [than I expected]. It’s a great job, I must admit, I’ve loved every minute of it. It’s a new challenge, I’m adapting to international football, I’ll make no bones about it, I’ve been very clear on what I want but it’s different to club football, so I’m adapting as well.” Ward is still targetting automatic promotion to League A, the race for top spot likely to come down to a Páirc Uí Chaoimh finale in early June, where Ireland must beat Slovenia by more than four goals. The runners-up still have a route to the top tier, via a two-legged play-off against a League A team, and Ward accepts could be a silver lining for her new side. “That might be the case, which would be another couple of competitive games of course but what I will say is, it’s not over till it’s over. We have a way, this group will have a way of going out there in Cork, hopefully we get the job done in Turkey and then hopefully we can go out in Cork and be exciting and front-footed.” “We will all try to get the gift for Ireland. The gift the (Ireland) coach has asked for me is to beat Slovenia.”added Greece manager Alexandros Katikaridis. Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'They’ve played a certain way for many years so it does take time' - Ireland boss Ward”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'They’ve played a certain way for many years so it does take time' - Ireland boss Ward”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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