The Republic of Ireland women's senior side have the opportunity to bounce straight back from their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Switzerland at the weekend when they take on Kazakhstan in Turners Cross next Thursday, September 24th.


Irish manager, Noel King has made a change to the squad following the withdrawal of Alisha Moran and Michele O'Brien from the side. King has called up, Corks Amanda Parkes from Wilton United who has been a constant feature in the successful Irish U19 side for the last three years.

The Republic of Ireland manager expressed his desire to kick-start the group 6 qualification with a win in Cork, "Obviously, we were all disappointed to lose our opening game to Switzerland despite playing so well away from home. Evidently, the key to winning games is scoring goals and I think the team now know that the cost of not finishing chances will be the difference in deciding this groups outcome. It wasn't essential to beat Switzerland last weekend but it definitely made it harder for us and I'm glad that the Kazakhstan game has come so soon as it is an opportunity to get the campaign underway with a victory."

"I think that Thursday night in Turners Cross will be a fantastic occasion for women's football in Cork as this will be the first time that we will play a FIFA World Cup qualifier here, at any level. The county is a hotbed of women's football, I have no doubt that we will be well supported there and hopefully it will inspire more girls to take up the game in future," said King.

"Unfortunately, due to work commitments, we have lost Alisha Moran and Michele O'Brien who have travelled back to the United States. I am delighted to call-up somebody like Amanda Parkes who already has so much experience at international level. This is a great opportunity for Amanda to come into the squad and make her mark. I have been monitoring her progress for many years so it was only going to be a matter of time before she got her chance at senior level," added, King.

Ireland's second FIFA World Cup, group 6 qualifier kicks-off at 7.30 pm on Thursday, September 24th in Turners Cross, Cork. Tickets for the game are €5 with children under 16 free of charge. There are a limited number of family passes available from the Football Association of Ireland by contacting; info@fai.ie

FIFA Women's World Cup - Group 6 Qualifier
Republic of Ireland v Kazakhstan
Thursday, September 24th 2009
Turners Cross, Cork

Ticket Details:
Adults: €5
Children (Under 16) : Free

Republic of Ireland squad
Emma Byrne - Arsenal
Mary Therese McDonnell - Chicago Red Stars
Meabh de Burca - Salthill Devon
Niamh Fahey - Arsenal FC
Yvonne Tracy - Arsenal FC
Jemma Connor - Birmingham
Ciara Grant - Arsenal
Aine O'Gorman - Stella Maris
Fiona O'Sullivan - Sacramento Storm
Stefanie Curtis - Chelsea
Sonya Hughes - Unattached
Marie Curtin - Lifford
Shannon McDonnell - Unattached
Lynn Bradley - Raheny United
Stephanie Roche - Raheny United
Diane Caldwell - Hofstra University
Amanda Parkes - Wilton United

Manager
Noel King