When they signed free agent Ruesha Littlejohn last week, Shamrock Rovers were hopeful that the 34-year-old Republic of Ireland international, with 87 caps to her name, could have a real impact for the club this season.
They only had to wait 14 minutes for her to make her presence felt, the midfielder curling home a free-kick on her debut against league champions Athlone Town at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday.
An eventful game ended 1-1, though, Athlone, with Madie Gibson and recruits Natalie McNally and Katherine Sullivan – available again after their work permit issues were resolved – equalising through Kelly Brady before the break. But they had to survive a Rovers penalty 20 minutes from time, Kellie Brennan was sent off for bringing down Joy Ralph, and Megan Plaschko saved smartly from Áine O’Gorman.
It was, then, a lively introduction to the league for Littlejohn, who spent the bulk of her career in Scotland and England, with a short spell in Norway. It was, she explained on signing, her former international team-mate Stephanie Zambra, now a coach at Rovers after retiring at the end of last season, who initiated the move. Littlejohn, who left London City Lionesses in January, took some time to mull over the offer before accepting it.
Ireland’s number 10 debate isn’t over, refereeing is in question and what else we learned from Six Nations
Burke family pays Facebook to promote its video of their Washington DC protest
The estate agent quoted a jaw-dropping figure for what he thought our house would go for
Freddie Scappaticci’s final years in a sleepy Surrey town: Neighbours were ‘sickened’ when they found out who he really was
At 34, she clearly has to start thinking about life after football, and key to the move, she said, was Rovers’ willingness to be flexible with her time – she is London-based and wants to keep on top of her blossoming podcasting career there. She has close to 30,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and also works with Irish team-mate Lucy Quinn on another, as well as her sister, broadcaster Shebahn Aherne, on her own platform.
Much of the buzz about her arrival at Rovers has, then, probably been more down to the profile that work has given Littlejohn, rather than what she can contribute at this stage of her career, not least because of a long-running issue with Achilles tendinopathy that often means her missing games.
But she’s a wily player, perhaps only Denise O’Sullivan showing as much composure on the ball in the Irish team, and she seems enthused about using her experience to help Rovers’ younger crop flourish.
And if she can stay fit and play in the bulk of Rovers’ games, she could well prove to be a useful scout of home-based players for Republic of Ireland manager Carla Ward who signed Littlejohn twice when she was in charge of Birmingham City and Aston Villa.
“I spoke to Carla [about the move],” she told RTÉ. “She was happy for me to come here, obviously to try and get another Irish player in the league and try and help the young ones coming through.”
Two games into the new season, only Galway United and Treaty United have made it six points out of six, Galway coming from behind to beat Bohemians 3-1 on Saturday and Treaty winning 2-0 away to DLR Waves. Shelbourne bounced back from their opening day defeat by Rovers with a 4-0 win away to Waterford, Cork City beating Sligo Rovers by the same scoreline. And Wexford shaded their meeting with 2023 champions Peamount United, 1-0.
