'I was shaking on the phone'

Maria Reynolds' head must have been spinning as she sat down to face the media as a fully fledged member of the Republic of Ireland squad.

It's been a whirlwind.

The Shamrock Rovers defender got the call at the start of the week: Jessie Stapleton's injury opened a door and the 22-year-old was invited to walk through it. Reynolds trained with the Girls in Green last October ahead of the Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium, but this is different.

She's inside the tent now for the upcoming World Cup qualification double-header against Poland, with Tuesday's clash in Gdansk floowed by a Saturday afternooon showdown at Aviva Stadum.

Big games, huge occasions, and special milestones for the Co Wicklow native.

"I actually missed the phone call!" she laughed at FAI HQ when asked how she reacted to her first official call-up. "I was in training. I saw the name (Carla Ward) on my phone. I think you can imagine all the emotions were running through my head. I gave her a call back as quick as possible. I was almost shaking on the phone. I gave her a call back and she gave me the news that she was going to give me my first call-up.

"I think I went through about 100 different ranges of emotions. It was just absolute shock because you don't really imagine that it's going to come around that quickly. It's something that I've wanted since I was a little girl. To finally get that call-up, I think it's a call that every footballer aspires to get."

Reynolds, who grew up with four football-mad older brothers, never had to look too far beyond her own county for inspiration. Louise Quinn (Blessington) and Stephanie Roche (Shankill) were guiding lights; while Aine O'Gorman represented two of the same clubs as Reynolds: Enniskillen and Shamrock Rovers.

"Growing up, Louise would have been a huge inspiration for me," said Reynolds. "Aine O'Gorman played for Enniskerry as well. We had very similar clubs. Steph Roche is from around that area as well. Massive inspirations to me and my game.

"I'm really enjoying it. To be honest, all the players have been so welcoming. I think the group is really, really good. They're really together. They're a great group to be in. I think from the outside, it's almost so daunting because they are world-class players.

"But when you come in, you almost realise they're just real humans. They've been amazing with me, all of them. Obviously, Ruesha (Littlejohn) was with Rovers for a little bit, so she definitely has helped so much."

Shelbourne's Aoibheann Clancy is the other SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division representative in the squad (Aoibhe Brennan of Bohemians was forced to withdraw with an ankle injury), and it's a source of pride for Reynolds to fly the domestic flag.

She's been with the Hoops for six years, rising through the academy to establish herself as a towering, vital presence in the senior side. Athletics, basketball, GAA and tennis all helped to round her in a sporting sense. And though Reynolds has a deep affiliation to Shamrock Rovers, she has the ambition to operate at as high a level as possible.

"It's difficult, but I'm finding it really good."

"I love Shamrock Rovers. It's been my home for so long now. But I definitely want to progress and would love to go professional. I think that's natural, especially when you're in these environments and you see the levels you can get to.

"I think it's natural to want to go over and play in England and stuff. But my main focus is to play for Rovers until my time's up. Until the opportunity comes around, Rovers would definitely be my main focus.

"I'm just trying to find my feet and almost back myself, which can be hard when you're coming from a part-time environment into this kind of professional environment. It's difficult, but I'm finding it really good."

Three of Reynolds' siblings have emigrated to Australia. They were all on her mind when she got off the phone with Ward, the scale of the achievement leading her to reflect on the journey to this point.

"I just 100% thought about my family and my club. They've been amazing with me. They've really set me up for this. I think it's very evident in how I speak about Rovers, how much I love them.

"So definitely my previous clubs as well, previous managers. I think everyone almost came in because there's so many people that I have to thank. It wasn't all me. There were so many people that helped me along the way. I was sure to text a lot of them and make sure that they know. I'm really grateful for them as well."

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