'It's in our soul' - Eileen Gleeson counting on Aviva backing to get past Wales

As Eileen Gleeson departed Cardiff, she inadvertently channeled the words of an old Welsh crooner.

"It's good to touch the green, green grass of home," sang Tom Jones on his 1967 hit, and Gleeson's mind drifted to a similar sentiment after watching her side scrap to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Euro 2025 play-off against Wales.

Now she's banking on the power of a healthy Aviva Stadium crowd to help swing what is almost certain to be nerve-shreddingly close return game on Tuesday nght.

"I don't feel (the pressure) is on our shoulders," said Gleeson when asked about the positives and potential negatives of home advantage.

"I feel like it is in our soul, this is our home. We love playing in the Aviva. We love the crowd. It is magical. You walk out, they sing. Like, there is nothing like being at home in Ireland.

"For us, we are coming home. We are trying to inspire the nation and do the nation proud. That’s nothing but a boost. We are a passionate country. We have lot of pride in this team."

There's never any question around this Ireland side's resilience, but they will require more guile if they're to outmanoevre a Welsh outfit that looks absolutely capable of upsetting their hosts at Lansdowne Road.

Lily Woodham drilled home a fine opener after the well-populated Irish rearguard malfunctioned, and a large slice of fortune was required to cancel that opener out. Ruesha Littlejohn's effort bounced in via the back of keeper Olivia Clark's head after it had initially hit the bar.

The Girls in Green had some good moments, not least Caitlin Hayes' volley that was brilliantly saved by Clark. Overall though they lacked cohesion in a scrappy contest.

"We probably started better and Wales took control for 15 minutes," added Gleeson.