Carla Ward has said that Ireland want to ‘increase the levels’ yet further after a huge victory against Kazakhstan on Friday.

Ward was speaking alongside Cork native and Ireland number 10, Denise O’Sullivan ahead of the second leg of Ireland’s Women’s World Cup play off against Kazakhstan at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Over 10,500 tickets have been sold, and with excitement building in the Rebel County, The Halfway Line heard from the Ireland boss.

Carla Ward says Ireland want to ‘increase the levels’ in second leg against Kazakhstan

In Astana on Friday, Ireland were ruthless, dismantling Kazakhstan 8-0 with seven different goal-scorers on the night. Ward was asked if the message to the squad tomorrow night will be more of the same,

“Increasing the levels, if we’re being honest” Ward stated. “This group, they want to be better all the time and we want to continue to raise what we do and layer up everything we do.

“So, the conversations we’ve had, everybody feels the same. We want to increase levels and add more to our game.”

As for injury news Ward explained that Jess Ziu will not be available,

“She’s gone back home to start her recovery” Ward said. “But look I hope she’s fit and available for the next camp.

“Everyone [else is] fit and available, which is good. We’ve got Saoirse [Noonan] doing a little bit of recovery today. She’s with the group for the next few days, which is positive. All in all, everyone’s fit and available.”

Irish players ‘look after each other’ praises Ward

There is a huge amount of competition in the squad, with players like Jamie Finn, Jessie Stapleton and Abbie Larkin stepping up and impressing in the absence of the regular starting eleven. Even as others missed out, they were ready to support the team from the sidelines. The Halfway Line asked Ward how she was able to cultivate an atmosphere like that in the camp,

“It takes time, I think it has taken time” Ward said. “But they also have that in abundance, I would say, over the last ten years. Every Irish player that I’ve ever worked with, I would say that the one thing they have is an attitude where they look after each other.

“I can’t talk about how different it is but all I can say is it’s the most tight-knit group we’ve got. From my point of view, it’s more about how we look after each other, how we have each other’s backs, how we continue to push each other.

“For me, people’s always number one, it’s always been no matter where I’ve been. How we look after each other as humans is far more important.”

‘Denise and Katie start’ affirms Carla Ward

Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan both missed the first leg, with McCabe suspended and O’Sullivan having her minutes managed. When Ward was asked if they would start, with both available she ensured her response was crystal clear,

“Denise and Katie start. Why wouldn’t they start? They’re two of Ireland’s greatest, why wouldn’t they? They could go into any team in the world, these two, so if they’re fit and available, they play.

“Let me be really clear, we’re going to try and step up again. We want to be front-footed. We want to be better.”

Ireland face Kazakhstan on Tuesday night with kick off at 19:30, the match will be live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player