Saoirse Noonan has lauded Watford’s Renée Hector and Helen Ward for making her ‘feel so valued’ ahead of joining the WSL 2 newcomers.
The Golden Girls are already seeing the fruits of that investment with Noonan nabbing a brace on her debut against AFC Bournemouth. The prolific Irish striker sat down with The Halfway Line recently to talk the new season with Watford, familiar faces in North London and adjusting to life with the London traffic.
Watford ‘made me feel so valued’ says Saoirse Noonan
Noonan arrives at Watford having already cut her teeth in the WSL 2, the Cork native was prolific in a spell at Durham just before she headed even further north to Scotland. The Halfway Line asked Noonan if she felt like she had unfinished business in the league,
“Yeah, look to be honest, I spoke to a lot of different clubs over the summer” Noonan candidly explained. “Yeah, just speaking with Ren [Renée Hector] and Helen [Ward] from the get-go it just felt like something that was really interesting to me, something that was interested in me.
“They made me feel so valued, and I think that’s so important as a person and a player. I just, I think I never heard a bad thing about Watford, so it just ticked all the boxes.
“And yeah, they’re obviously a team that’s just come up. So there is that bit of, I suppose pressure there but yeah, look, I’m excited. It was probably the only place that I really, really wanted to come after speaking to them, so it was a no-brainer.”
Noonan helped in ‘making sure’ Aoibheann Clancy joined her in Watford
Shortly after Saoirse Noonan made the move to Watford her international teammate, Aoibheann Clancy joined her. The Halfway Line asked Noonan if it was nice to have a familiar face at the club,
“Yeah, yeah, we spoke about it briefly over summer” Noonan admitted. “We both kind of got wind that we both spoke with the club.
“We both said the exact same thing: like how ambitious they were, how we felt so valued, how they were so honest with open conversations, and how they just knew so much detail about us both.
“So yeah, the minute I got here, I was straight on to her, wondering when she was going to arrive, making sure she was. But yeah, obviously it’s a team that I didn’t actually know anyone in.
“I think it’s the first time I didn’t even know one player, so it was a bit of a change. But when I arrived, I obviously knew Aoibheann, and then I knew another girl, Hannah [Greenwood]. So yeah, everyone’s been so welcoming.”
Watford ‘value the people’ first says Noonan
Perhaps given Noonan’s pedigree as one of the Scottish Women’s Premier League’s finest at Celtic, many expected her to join a WSL 2 club higher up the table. Noonan was asked how she felt so valued by Watford,
“Yeah, I think I suppose firstly on the pitch” Noonan revealed. “Every striker is different, every player is different, and the way I play can be different. And I know some teams want to go with just a runner in behind all the time, and that might not suit me.
“I like to be more involved in the play, so we spoke a lot about that, and they spoke a lot about how I’ve done well up in Scotland over the last two years, and how I need to bring that to their game, and just scoring goals.
“They just spoke so highly of me, and I think in the past maybe some managers haven’t given me that much praise. You have to keep going, and you nearly, one goal isn’t good enough at times, and you need another one but [here] I just got the feeling that just we want to win the game as a team.
“It doesn’t matter who scores, it doesn’t matter who assists. Yeah, it’s my job, but once I bring everyone else in around me and we get the win, that’s what matters. And I just really, really, really liked the way they spoke about that, and then how they valued the people off the pitch before the players.
“They understand everyone’s human. It’s obviously a transition coming into London. It’s busy. There’s a lot of traffic and they just understand that, and they understand that people have lives, and we want to do well, and we’re all here for the same reasons.
“Yeah, that was just really important to me. And there’s a lot of girls that have families and kids and then there’s obviously a few of us that have come in, and they mightn’t have had as many players from overseas.
“But they’ve gone above and beyond to make sure that they can do what they feel is right and what we need from them. It’s just been so easy. You could just ask for anything, and they’d do it, and it’s just really nice.”
Watford are ‘looking up and not behind’ declares Saoirse Noonan
The Golden Girls were promoted alongside two other sides in Burnley and Wolves. In previous seasons only one side was promoted, meaning this term is set to be the most competitive ever in the league. As for newly promoted Watford’s ambitions for the season, are the Hornets looking up the table rather than over their shoulder?
“Yeah, look, I think definitely” Noonan asserted. “I think it’s gotten so much more competitive now. And even if you look at the teams that have come up, they’re all big clubs firstly, but then they also have top talent, and they brought in more talent.
“So it’s definitely going to be competitive and we’re definitely going to be looking up and not behind.”
Saoirse Noonan ‘always’ wanted to live in London
Saoirse Noonan is used to living in a busy city like Glasgow but never one quite so bustling as London. The striker was asked if it has been difficult to adapt to the city lifestyle,
“Yeah, I’m trying to live a bit outside it to keep it a bit calm” Noonan smiled. “But still, ah, the traffic is mental. That’s one thing I don’t think I’ll ever get over.
“But yeah, no, it’s been it’s been lovely, and I always did want to come live around London and feel that lifestyle. But it’s just trying to adapt to that now, and trying to switch off in your off days which is so important.
“I think, especially with the hectic schedules we have but again, the club have been brilliant with that so it’s been good.”
Watford kick of their Barclays Women’s Super League campaign against Burnley on 4th September 2026 at 14:30pm.
