Niamh Fahey won’t bite hand that feeds after ending her Ireland goal drought

Niamh Fahey celebrates with Amber Barrett after her goal against Georgia. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

David Kelly Twitter Email

June 28 2022 02:30 AM

Handy work if you can get it.

Niamh Fahey spent her Sunday scrambling for a signal to see her beloved Galway secure the most dramatic of sporting successes.

Twenty-fours later, the 2004 All-Ireland winner with the Galway ladies, not averse to handling the ball in the art of scoring, produced a most unwittingly devious sleight of hand to claim her first international goal at the 104th attempt.

While the Georgian defenders howled their protests, the Irish bench erupted in Vesuvian delight as their exalted veteran defender completed a quite magical season by pinning her name in the international record books.

There will be no picture alongside the scorecard. Niamh Fahey; International Caps – 104; International Goals – 1.

“We can’t talk too much about it!” smiles the 34-year-old who, aside from reaching her century of caps earlier this year, also captained Liverpool to the Championship title, once again securing promotion to the Women’s Super League.

“It’s one in 104, so we’ll brush over it! Great! But I was joking with the girls that it would be more prestigious to end up with zero at the end, so I’m kind of disappointed in the end.”

That would perhaps reflect her unstinting defensive instincts; hardly required on this evening, so perhaps there was no better opportunity to demonstrate that whatever Louise Quinn can do – and she did so twice again last night – perhaps Fahey might aspire to match it for one in her gilded lifetime in green.

Her old friend and team-mate Karen Duggan had apparently delivered her own jibe in the RTÉ studios, remarking on how it had been quite the propitious weekend for Galway footballers.

“Fair play to her,” said the sister of one-time men’s team stalwarts, Gary and Richie, heroes of ’98 and 2001.

“She’s on the money, Karen, a great GAA person. It’s a great weekend for Galway. The lads did superb in Croke Park.”

Although unabashed in glory, she was also unwilling to dispute the evident truth.

“It was a small bit of a Maradona, Hand of God in there.

“I can’t even remember, to be honest. It just went slightly ahead of me, so I think it was maybe head to hand, or, I’m not sure.

“It was hand anyway, but the ref didn’t give it and Amber Barrett just jumped in my face. So I thought, it must count!”

Despite breaking her duck, she won’t start aping the mighty Quinn.

“Normally Louise takes priority, because she is immense in the air, so I am normally at the near post or blocking.

“It’s just whatever way it falls, we normally just leave the space for Louise and I’m on second phase. Internationally, I didn’t score any goals up to now, but that’s just the way it is.”