Meet the Ireland star inspired by Katie McCabe's rags to riches story
There is not one footballer who hasn't experienced a sliding doors moment, one door opening the way to a disaster, the other to a Champions League final.
For Katie McCabe, her career-changing incident happened eight years ago when a loan move to Glasgow City reminded her of everything she had but showed her everything that could be lost.
Now look at her, the fourth Irish woman to win a Champions League, and just the 14th Irish player in all to pocket the most coveted medal in club football.
Marissa Sheva has stood at that crossroads junction, too.
Read more: Former Down GAA star and Irish Cup winner has message for fans after joining Shamrock Rovers
'Yeah, you've just given me goosebumps thinking about what Katie achieved,' Sheva, McCabe's fellow Irish international said. 'I can't even imagine how she feels. I don't think it's sunk into the rest of us as winning the Champions League is one of the top things you can do.
"It's just incredible. She's proven herself on the biggest stages in the world now.
'And we're excited for her. Hopefully she has many, many more opportunities to make it back to the Champions League final, and I don't doubt for a second that she'll be back many times. I hope she's celebrating hard right now.'
Yet Sheva is also drinking the moment in.
The Sunderland and Ireland midfielder said: 'It gives the whole team confidence to be able to say we play with Katie. I would never put myself on Katie McCabe's level but just knowing we get to train with her, we get to see just how she operates pretty consistently should give all of us confidence. We can all strive for a little bit more.'
From the start, she has never settled for being ordinary, making her way initially through athletics where she was a champion middle distance runner, before she won a football scholarship to Penn State university.
Success followed there too - a NCAA title being the highest prize any college athlete could hope for in the United States.
That said, college football has a short shelf-life as well as being amateur, and when she was 21, Sheva knew she had to make the right decision: get into the rat race or follow the dream.
It was an easy choice. Moves to Deportivo La Coruna, Utah, Washington and Portland followed but the option of transferring to Sunderland in March was too good to turn down, getting her closer to home and within Irish boss, Carla Ward's, sights.
Thirteen times she has been capped by Ireland under three different managers, Vera Pauw, Eileen Gleeson and Ward and it's only now she is beginning to feel confident in her surroundings, which is often the case with footballers who break through late.
Sheva says: 'Carla's style of play fits mine.
'She's been very helpful with specific things about my game; Carla is seeking me to turn forward and drive with the ball, to be more confident.
'It's crazy just how her bringing that to my attention has made such a huge difference. I'm nowhere near a complete midfielder so I'm willing to take any and all information she has to give me.
'Composure is something that every midfielder kind of aspires to have. I look at someone like Denise O'Sullivan who is a complete midfielder, tactically aware, and one of the best technical players I have played with. I am just kind of trying to be more like Denise.'
She gets her chance to continue her impersonation of O'Sullivan - who is arguably on McCabe's level in terms of quality if not profile - when Ireland face Turkey and then Slovenia over the next week.
Currently second in their Nations League group, behind Slovenia, Ireland need two wins to have any chance of topping their group and earning promotion to the top tier. A visit to the play-offs is likelier.
But Sheva says: 'We have a lot of work to do. We need to beat Turkey and then need to handily beat Slovenia.
"If that doesn't happen, there are play-offs, a bunch of things that would have to happen for us to potentially get back into group A.
"We are not even thinking about that, we just know that we have a lot of work on our hands here and it starts in Turkey (on Friday). That's our first goal, beat Turkey and get back to Cork and prepare for Slovenia.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
McErlean and Treacy hoping to return to event Saturday after dramatic stage two at Rally Italia Sardegna
A dramatic and incident filled second stage of Rally Italia Sardegna, round six of the World Rally Championship, claimed the Irish crew of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy along with their M-Sport Ford team mates Gregoire Munster/Louis Louka and Martins Sesks/Renars Francis leaving Jourdan Serderidis as the sole Ford competitor, but the Greek driver reported a broken suspension damper at the stage end. Meanwhile, French driver Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) leads overnight 2.1s ahead of compatriot Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20 Rally1) with his Hyundai team mate Ott Tanak 5.2s further behind in third. It had begun well for Kilrea's McErlean and Killeagh's Treacy, who followed up their strong performance in the shakedown to post the sixth fastest time on SS1 - 5.4s behind rally leader Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1). "It was okay. I don't think I took much out of the road, it cleaned a lot, I saw Ogier's time before the stage and do that third on the road is incredible. Still a lot more to go." Unfortunately, the "more" only lasted about 8.5km into the Telti-Calangianus-Berchidda 18.43 km stage when McErlean's Puma clipped a tree. "Small mistakes have big consequences, after a positive start we ran wide and damaged the rear suspension and couldn't continue." Aware of his team mates, he added, "Not a great stage for M-Sport. We knew it would be tough, but this is brutal." The Irish duo are hoping to return to the event today (Saturday) under Super Rally where they will have the extra challenge of sweeping the road. Meanwhile, Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux topped the time sheets after the opening loop of three stages 2.9s ahead of his team mate and reigning WR champion Thierry Neuville with Sebastien Ogier (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) seeking a record breaking fifth win on the event, 5.2s further behind in third. Championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) was down in eighth place and 41.2s off the lead, principally due to the fact that he was running first on the road. On the repeat loop, Neuville regained the lead on SS4 only to retire on the next stage following an impact that damaged the suspension. Fourmaux was back in front once more followed by team mate Tanak - 1.2s behind with Ogier third before setting the best time on SS6 to lead overnight. There are six stages today and four on Sunday. Rally Italia Sardegna (Round 6, World Rally Championship) Olbia: 1. S. Ogier/V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 1h. 10m. 33.1s; 2. A. Fourmaux/A. Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+2.1s; 3. O. Tanak Ott/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+7.3s; 4. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+16.8s; 5. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+22.8s; 6. E. Evans/S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 09.8s; 7. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+2m. 27.9s.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Perfect Ireland win five-star La Baule Nations Cup on zero score
Michael Blake's team, fresh from a dominant four-star victory in Langley, Canada last Sunday, were ruthless in France, finishing on a perfect zero score under immense pressure to continue their sparkling run of form. It was a blend of experience and emerging talent in the Irish team as Cian O'Connor and Bertram Allen were joined by young guns Seamus Hughes Kennedy and Tom Wachman, with all four contributing clear rounds to keep Belgium at bay, with Brazil finishing in third. Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Show Jumping Manager Blake was understandably delighted after the result, saying: 'That was phenomenal. We came here with really high expectations but when we saw the start list, with some of the world's biggest names in opposition, it put us back in our box a little bit. 'We knew how good we were, though, and we knew that if we kept jumping clear Belgium would have to match us and so would everybody else. The lads were magnificent and kept on ramping up the pressure on the rest, and eventually they couldn't live with us. 'This is one that's escaped us for a few years and I had it on my bucket list so I'm thrilled. Obviously, it's been a great week, having won last Sunday in Canada and I couldn't be happier. 'These lads are just brilliant – Cian and Bertram are incredible riders who have seen it all and know when to deliver, and I'm especially proud of Tom and Seamus – the two lads have come through our youth programme and have gained valuable experience through the EEF Series, and that showed today as they delivered at the highest level. "The last time we won here, in 2011, Seamus was eight years old and Tom was six! It shows how strong this programme is that these two lads performed so well and we could have Shane Sweetnam here as our fifth rider." Allen was double clear on Qonquest De Rigo, and he echoed Blake's sentiments. 'Coming to La Baule is a highlight of the season, it's great to win here. It's a traditional show, one of the Rolex Series, which are always the best shows and are where all the best riders want to be. 'As Michael said, when we saw the start list yesterday, we knew it would be difficult but we knew we had a good team, good riders and good horses, so we were confident of a good result.' It was the perfect start for Ireland as pathfinder Allen and Qonquest De Rigo, jumping first of the 40 combinations from 10 nations competing after Ireland were drawn number one to jump, delivered a sparkling clear round inside the time. It was never in doubt for the Wexford rider and his nine-year-old, and paved the way for Ireland's second rider Hughes Kennedy. The 23-year-old Kilkenny man and the Ennisnag Stud-bred Irish Sport Horse ESI Rocky, owned by his mother Clare Hughes, also produced the goods for chef d'equipe Blake and the Irish team, putting in a performance in the saddle beyond his years on the 10-year-old. With two riders clear, it was Tipperary's Wachman and Tabasco De Toxandria Z next in for the boys in green, with the youngster having already won a class earlier in the week. It wasn't the round they had hoped for and they finished on a score of eight faults, which would prove to be Ireland's discard score at the break as a nerveless O'Connor and his 14-year-old, did the business for another Irish clear round just when they needed it most, ensuring a zero score after round one. Joining them at the head of affairs at the break was Belgium, with Olympic champions Britain in third on four faults and the likes of Sweden, France and Brazil on eight. After the restart, Allen was required to do what he and Qonquest De Rigo had done in round one and go clear. He duly obliged to put pressure on the Belgians, as the pair began to trade blows at the top of the leaderboard. Nicola Philippaerts and Katanga v/d Dingeshof held up their end of the bargain to keep both nations on clean scores, with Hughes Kennedy next in for Ireland with ESI Rocky (ISH). Once again, the pair were imperious and delivered a crucial double clear to really ramp up the pressure on Belgium, who had Pieter Devos and Casual DV Z to jump as their second combination. They couldn't add their own double clear and it gave the Irish a glimpse of the finish line, with a clear round from either Wachman or O'Connor guaranteeing at least a jump-off to win gold. Coolness personified, Wachman was superb in the saddle on Tabasco De Toxandria Z to secure a faultless finish for Blake's team, meaning that Abdel Said and Bonne Amie simply could not afford any slip-ups. They kept their calm to go clear and with Ireland guaranteed a zero score, O'Connor's services were not required in round two, with just Belgian anchor Giles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone to come, themselves with no room for error. They couldn't rise to the occasion, however, with one pole down handing the victory to Ireland to cap a magical week following the Langley success.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ange Postecoglou reacts after being given the sack by Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou has written a heartfelt farewell to Tottenham after being dismissed by chairman Daniel Levy. The Australian coach departs just weeks after guiding Spurs to a historic Europa League triumph — the club's first major trophy in 17 years. Tottenham's 1-0 win over Manchester United in Bilbao not only secured European silverware for the first time since 1984 but also earned them a spot in next season's revamped Champions League group stage. However, a dismal Premier League campaign which saw Spurs lose a staggering 22 of their 38 league matches and finish just one place above the relegation zone has cost the Celtic hero his job. Postecoglou's contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium still had two years to run and the veteran boss will reportedly receive a healthy severance package of around £4million. Brentford head coach Thomas Frank is the frontrunner to succeed the Aussie, with Fulham's Marco Silva also said to be on their radar. But a defiant Postecoglou insists he will look back with nothing but fondness on his two seasons in North London and his adamant that the group of players he has left will go onto prosper in the future having finally ended a long wait for silverware. His statement read: "When I reflect on my time as Manager of Tottenham Hotspur my overriding emotion is one of pride. The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. "Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget. That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. "There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible. "We have also laid foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. I have enormous faith in this group of players and know there is much more potential and growth in them. "I sincerely want to thank those who are the lifeblood of the club, the supporters. I know there were some difficult times but I always felt that they wanted me to succeed and that gave me all the motivation I needed to push on. "It's important to acknowledge the hard working people at Spurs who gave me encouragement on a daily basis. And finally, I want to thank those who were with me every day for the last two years. "A fantastic group of young men who are now legends of this football club and the brilliant coaches who never once doubted we could do something special. We are forever connected. Audere est Facere."
