Hayley Nolan says that she was ‘over the moon’ to make her first start for Ireland in almost a year against Kazakhstan on Tuesday night.
The Crystal Palace star played the full ninety minutes at Páirc Uí Chaoimh as Ireland ran out 4-0 winners on the night, completing a 12-0 mauling on aggregate. Nolan took the time to speak with the media after the victory and The Halfway Line was present to hear from her.
Hayley Nolan says Kazakhstan ‘put up a good fight’
If Ireland had expected the easy ride they received in Astana on Tuesday, they would have been disappointed. Kazakhstan improved after the first leg and Nolan was asked for her thoughts on the match,
“They put up a good fight” Nolan contended. “They made it really difficult for us, especially in that first half. We found it quite difficult to find those spaces, but I think once we got that first goal through Jessie [Stapleton], I think we were able to take control of the game and find more pockets. Delighted to get more goals in the second half.”
Both matches against Kazakhstan were very one sided, with Ireland dominating for 90 minutes even if the visitors improved on Tuesday, Nolan was asked if she’d played in matches quite like these before,
“No, no, I haven’t really” she admitted. “We enjoyed it though. We moved the ball well at moments and at times. I think we could have been better in the first half, but obviously in the second half, we picked up the pace and got those goals. So, yeah, delighted to win the game and to move forward for Poland.”
‘I’m so proud to put on this shirt’ declares Hayley Nolan
The match was Hayley Nolan’s first start in almost a year for Ireland, since a behind closed doors friendly against Hungary in Marbella. The Halfway Line asked Nolan how it felt to start for Ireland again,
“I’m so proud to put on this shirt” Nolan said. “You know, it’s a huge honour. And like you said, it’s been over a year since I’ve been able to start a game for Ireland. And, yeah, I’m absolutely over the moon and so proud. So, yeah, a good result to top it off.
“This is my first start at home. I’ve got my other six caps away from home. I was absolutely delighted. My whole family is here. They’ve been coming to all the games and for them to see me out there today is huge. I’m hugely proud and honoured to wear the shirt, so yeah, delighted.”
Nolan came close to marking the occasion with a phenomenal strike from range but Angelina Portnova was able to tip the ball over the bar. Nolan reflected on the effort,
“Yeah, devastating!” Nolan laughed. “It was a good save, I’m not going to lie.
“So, yeah, look, I took the shot, it opened up. So, unfortunately, I didn’t go in. But, look, I’ll move forward and take more shots. Hopefully, one might go in.”
Nolan ‘delighted’ to start with club team mates for Ireland
Hayley Nolan has been at Crystal Palace for a number of years now, experiencing the highs of promotion and the lows of relegation in her time there. On Tuesday she stepped out to start for Ireland alongside two of her club-mates, Abbie Larkin and new call up Shanade Hopcroft, Nolan was asked about how Hopcroft has settled in post-match,
“She’s done great” Nolan smiled. “I’ve known Shanade for a very long time. I’ve actually been a team-mate of hers for six years now.
“So, when I saw that Larko and Shanade were also named in the line-up, we were delighted. We’ve got such a good link-up. So we were all delighted.”
The journey to and from Astana in Kazakhstan can reach upwards of 24 hours travel time, even by chartered aircraft, Nolan was asked how this camp has been and if that had any effect on the side,
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been in” Nolan said. “We haven’t been in since June. So, I think all the girls are delighted to get back in and see each other, get the ball moving. We are such a good group with such a good culture. And we didn’t like being so separated for such a long time.
“So, we were delighted to get in. And, yeah, it’s a big flight over to Kazakhstan. But I think, as you could see in the performance that we gave out there, 8-0, top performance. To put in a good performance again, we’re happy.”
