Centurion Sarah McFadden is back in the Northern Ireland senior women’s squad for the upcoming UEFA Women’s Nations League play-off against Iceland.
McFadden, who has 106 caps and nine goals for her country, was last in the panel for a Nations League game against Montenegro in February 2024.
Since then she has recovered from a long-term injury and given birth to her second child. The 38-year-old defender returned to full-time training and playing with her club, WSL 2 outfit Durham Women, last month.
Northern Ireland, who were last in action back in May in Nations League Group B1, are set to battle it out with Iceland over two legs for a place in League A in the next edition of the competition.
The first game is being staged at Ballymena Showgrounds on Friday 24 October (7pm), with the return leg at Laugardalsvöllur Stadium in Reykjavik on Tuesday 28 October.
Northern Ireland senior women’s team manager Tanya Oxtoby has made several changes to the squad that secured the Nations League play-off with a draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in May.
Oxtoby has named two newcomers in her panel for the upcoming games, Leyla McFarland and Mia Moore.
McFarland, who was born in San Diego, is a team-mate of McFadden’s at Durham. She was signed by the North-East club from Hungarian side Ferencvaros last month.
The 25-year-old striker has six Under-19 caps for Northern Ireland and played alongside senior squad members Megan Bell, Louise McDaniel and Emily Wilson at U19 level.
Glentoran Women midfielder Moore (18) has previously played at U15, U17 and U19 level for Northern Ireland. She has netted 12 goals in 27 appearances for the Glens this season.
There are three other returnees in Aberdeen Women pair Toni-Leigh Finnegan and Kerry Beattie along with Nottingham Forest Women forward Casey Howe.
Defender/midfielder Finnegan, who has eight senior caps to date, was last in the squad in February 2024, while forward Beattie (12 caps, four goals), who is on loan at the Dons from Hearts Women, has not featured in the senior panel since December 2024.
Howe is back after overcoming various injury problems. The last of the striker’s nine caps came against Croatia a year ago.
Oxtoby said today: “It’s exciting. We have a very young group this time around who are all very excited to be part of the set-up. We’ve done a lot of work in the background to make sure they feel ready when they come in.
“It’s a massive window for us, but more importantly it’s a great challenge to see where some of our younger players are.”
She said the likes of Sarah McFadden, with all her experience, would help to support the younger players’ development.
And the Northern Ireland manager added: “Play-offs are always going to be a challenge but I think for us it’s not about the result as such, it’s about the process and seeing where we are against what is a really strong Iceland side.
“We want to win every game. We have earned the right to be here, to challenge ourselves against one of the powerhouses in European football.”
She acknowledged it’s going to be “a massive test” for Northern Ireland, especially given the fact that some experienced players are not available for the matches.
Oxtoby urged the younger players in the squad to “embrace it” and to challenge themselves across the two games.
Northern Ireland captain Simone Magill is the most notable absentee. Magill is currently sidelined with a hip issue.
Also missing out this time are Rangers defender Laura Rafferty, Burnley Women midfielder Brenna McPartlan, Charlton defender Ellie Mason and Sheffield United Women midfielder Connie Scofield, who are all injured.
Rachel Furness and Rachel Dugdale have both retired since the game against the Bosnians.
In addition Glentoran Women defender Demi Vance and Cliftonville Ladies defender Kelsie Burrows both confirmed they were unavailable for the upcoming camp.
Tickets for the match in Ballymena are still available at irishfa.com/tickets.
The 24-strong squad for the two play-off games is as follows:
Goalkeepers - Jackie Burns (Calgary Wild), Maddy Harvey-Clifford (Crusaders Strikers), Kate Smith (Lisburn Rangers Ladies).
Defenders - Rebecca Holloway and Rebecca McKenna (both Birmingham City Women), Sarah McFadden (Durham Women), Abi Sweetlove (Linfield Women), Toni-Leigh Finnegan (Aberdeen Women), Natalie Johnson (Nottingham Forest Women).
Midfielders - Nadene Caldwell, Aimee Kerr and Mia Moore (all Glentoran Women), Louise McDaniel (Burnley Women), Joely Andrews (Hearts Women), Megan Bell (Linfield Women), Caragh Hamilton (Nottingham Forest Women).
Forwards - Lauren Wade and Keri Halliday (both Hearts Women), Emily Wilson and Kascie Weir (both Glentoran Women), Danielle Maxwell (Burnley Women), Casey Howe (Nottingham Forest Women), Kerry Beattie (Aberdeen Women, on loan from Hearts Women) Leyla McFarland (Durham Women).
