Ruesha Littlejohn boosted by Carla Ward faith as 100-cap dream still alive

Ruesha Littlejohn says she's grateful to Republic of Ireland boss Carla Ward for giving her the opportunity to pull on the green jersey as she continues her search for a new club.

The 34-year-old was released by the London City Lionesses last month and has yet to be snapped up.

Capped 85 times before Ward succeeded Eileen Gleeson, Littlejohn feared her dream of becoming an Ireland centurion was over, but the new boss gave the midfielder a real shot in the arm by starting her against Turkey in the Nations League last Friday.

Littlejohn's ongoing management of Achilles tendonitis means she can't always train, but she believes she still has plenty in the tank to perform when it matters.

"In the back of my head I've got that wee ego saying, 'come on push, try and get to 100 caps’," she told RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue ahead of this evening's clash with Slovenia.

"But it could have been different. Another manager could have come in and that could have been the end of it. I’m lucky it has been Carla. We get on well, she lets me be me, she lets the person be themselves, you don’t need to be anyone else. She likes the banter about the group, so that works out well for me – and a few others!

"After the Wales game I think I cried all the way home on the flight."

"Obviously I'm unattached to a club right now so if there’s any teams out there that’s looking for a rogue midfielder sign me up. I’m not that bad! I’ve a bad rep and I don’t know why."

Ireland toiled against the Turks but dug out a 1-0 win at Tallaght Stadium. Ward has stated her intention to implement a more technical style based on keeping possession; making everything click is going to take time.

"It’s definitely something that Eileen and Colin wanted too, they wanted us to