Pauw hails 'fighting spirit' of Louise Quinn as she prepares for landmark appearance

Louise Quinn will captain the Republic of Ireland as she wins her 100th senior cap against Morocco on Monday evening. The 32-year-old Birmingham defender will lead the team out for the friendly in Marbella as part of their preparations for next summer's World Cup finals. She will follow in the footsteps of Emma Byrne, Aine O'Gorman, Ciara Grant and Niamh Fahey in completing a century of appearances for her country.

Manager Vera Pauw, who presented Quinn with a gold cap to mark the achievement at a special meeting on Saturday evening, said: "Louise is a superb footballer and a brilliant person. She is someone who gives absolutely everything to her career, to her team-mates and for her country. "The fighting spirit that she has is exactly what this Ireland team is all about so it is not a surprise she is a key part of it.

"Any young player wanting to forge a successful career in international football should look to how Louise always makes herself available for every training session and every game. "How she is always focused in team meetings with intelligent questions, how she leads on the pitch, how she responds to challenges and set-backs, how she treats every player, staff member and supporter with equal respect and how she appreciates every opportunity that she gets to represent her country. "The history books will show that Louise is one of the few players, so far, to reach 100 caps and anyone who knows her can attest to the commitment that she has shown to reach that milestone.