The win over Finland, the draw against Italy and the quality of the performances in all four games have given the Irish skipper the belief that the dream of qualifying for the European Championships in the Netherland next year is still on.
“The dream is still alive, definitely, These kinds of weeks that we are together is a huge advantage for us because it builds good team bonding and morale within the camp and we all look forward to meeting up and getting out on the pitch,” said Byrne who added two more appearances to bring her total number of caps to 124.
“We didn’t get all the results we wanted but at the end of the day we finished well. It’s really all about our European campaign and we beat Finland in the last game and I think mentally and psychologically that is going to be a huge boost for us and that is what we are going to take from the whole trip.”
Byrne also believes that the 1-1 draw against World No.13 Italy was another major boost for the squad.
“The girls felt they could have won and that was a huge confidence boost for them. Italy have always been a very good team and we have never beaten them so I think a draw was fantastic and I definitely feel the girls took a lot of confidence out of it. It was another confidence boost and I think that is what this team needs. We have good players so it just now mental thing about getting them to believe in themselves.”
One of the disappointments for the Irish team was their failure to convert the possession they had and the chances they created in all four games into goals but Byrne is not getting too downbeat about that.
“That will come too. It is more of a worry if you are not creating the chances We have got good finishers but it just a question again of them getting confident and the result of our final game against Finland will give them confidence. We have a lot of young girls coming in so it is a question of building up confidence through games and I think that is what Cyprus Cup does for us.”
The squad arrived in Cyprus with 11 of the 23 players under 22 years of age and Byrne is the only member who is over 30 years of age. She laughs that it makes her feel old but adds that the quality of player now emerging is something she has never seen before.
“I actually think the kids coming through are some of the best we have ever had at that age. I am really hopeful about the future of Irish football because the likes of Megan Connolly, Emma Hansberry and Grace Moloney mean the future is definitely looking bright and it’s a question of can they now adapt to senior football because there is a massive gaps between underage and senior football and I think they will be the first to admit that. So it is a question of them being able to adapt and develop and hopefully step up and compete at this level.”
Katie McCabe, who has won 12 caps since making her debut at the Istria Cup a year ago, recently joined Byrne at Arsenal and the captain admits that the Dubliner has made such an impact she doesn’t even think of her a kid any more.
“Katie is flying and she is just getting better and better. She still has a good bit to go but she is an honest girl and she has got her head screwed on so she knows she need to keep developing. At Arsenal I think it is going to be a fantastic opportunity for her to develop and to grow and she is definitely settling in there. I think she is going to play and she deserves to play and I think that it will be great for Ireland to have that type of stand-out player in our team.”
There are less than four weeks to the resumption of the EURO 2017 qualifying campaign with the double-header away to Montenegro and Spain and Byrne says her only thoughts at the moment are on the opening game.
“I am focused on the Montenegro game because it is a must win match. We really have to beat them. We are focused on them because we have to win that but I also think we can beat Spain. They recently drew with Scotland and the Scots should have won. We know we are capable of beating Scotland so you pick up on these little things and they help build up your confidence. I know Spain beat us 3-0 at home but I don’t think the result reflected on our performance. I know Spain don’t like playing us and if we play like we did against Finland then they should be worried about us.”
