Cork City starlet Zara Foley out to re-establish herself in Ireland fold after home-based call-up by manager Vera Pauw
CORK CITY’S Zara Foley found that a rabbit’s foot can lead to bad luck, but now hopes to make the most of a good break.
The City defender learnt this week that she has been called back into the Ireland home-based squad.
It will be her first time back in three years after circumstances conspired to see her drift off the international radar in 2019.
Foley, 20, told SunSport: “I was in with the Irish set-up when Colin Bell was manager. I got a senior cap at 16 against Poland.
“And then when Colin Bell then left, the assistant manager Tom O’Connor took over, and he dropped me.
“And Vera Pauw came in and took that squad so that’s the luck of the draw.”
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With Pauw taking charge and having no friendly games, there was no time for experimentation.
But if Foley had a chance to get in with Pauw, she had bad luck again — when she literally was undone by the work of a rabbit’s foot.
She explained: “Last June, I had surgery on my ankle as I kept tearing ligaments in my ankle. Last year when I had to get surgery, I was training on a pitch with lots of rabbit holes and I fell into it.”
Told to get surgery to stop it happening again, it put her out until the final two games of the season.
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But, since returning to action late last season, she has put her fitness issues behind her.
She added: “This season with our physio, Eileen Foyle, she’s brilliant, she always gives me stuff to do."
Her elevation to the Ireland home-based squad again has highlighted how good she has been playing.
Foley reckons it confirms her own belief that Cork City’s performances have been better than their results.
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City, who face Sligo Rovers today, are second bottom of the table, with three wins all season.
A campaign that started with Paul Farrell in charge has seen Jess Lawton take over as caretaker before former City player Danny Murphy was appointed in June.
Foley believes City can expect results to improve.
She said: “It’s brilliant under Murphy. I think he’s made improvements in his time on and off the pitch.
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“I see how hard he’s trying in the job. Definitely I’ve seen improvements in the team. Results aren’t going our way but I think there is a lot of luck in soccer as well.”
But as Foley knows, luck can change.