Dave Connell had been keen to make the most of the time available with his players to work on preparing for their upcoming UEFA Women's Under-19 European Championship qualifiers and they certainly did that in this game.

A positive approach was rewarded when Ireland were awarded a penalty kick, which captain Stapleton cooly slotted in after sending the opposing goalkeeper in the other direction.

Slattery got her goal after taking a risk that the England goalkeeper would attempt a short pass to her centre-back; the Galway United forward nipped in to steal it and convert to an empty net.

This was a worthwhile exercise for Ireland, who got to give game-time to several players, and they will take a lot of confidence from their performance and the result against a very good team.

Republic of Ireland: Claudia Keenan (Katie Keane); Melissa O'Kane (Meabh Russell), Jessie Stapleton, Kate Thompson, Tara O'Hanlon (Abi Smith); Jamie Thompson (Laura Shine), Millie Pullen (Layla Proctor), Scarlett Herron; Jenna Slattery (Eva Mangan), Emma Doherty, Lia O'Leary.