Crystal Palace midfielder Shanade Hopcroft has been called up by Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward for the team’s Women’s World Cup play-off against Kazakhstan.
The 28-year-old, who was born in England, qualifies to represent Ireland through her grandmother from County Sligo. Hopcroft returned to Palace earlier this month after a spell with Birmingham City, having previously also played for the Chelsea academy and London City Lionesses.
Ireland will begin the two-legged tie in Astana on 9 October, with the second match taking place at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork on 13 October. Hopcroft is included among the midfielders for the squad, alongside Crystal Palace teammate Hayley Nolan in defence and forward Abbie Larkin.
Ward’s squad will be missing several players for the opening game. Katie McCabe and Marissa Sheva are suspended, while Denise O’Sullivan will not travel to Kazakhstan. Tara O’Hanlon and Saoirse Noonan are unavailable for both matches, and Ruesha Littlejohn has not been selected.
Ireland entered the play-offs after losing their decisive automatic qualification match against France in June. Should they overcome Kazakhstan, they will face either Poland or Belgium in the play-off final.
