Anna Patten has been operating at the top end of the game for a long time now, having come through the Arsenal academy and then moving to Aston Villa in the Women's Super League.
But the 25-year-old defender admits nothing really prepared her for playing with the Republic of Ireland against the best nations in the world.
Patten received her international clearance back in April, requiring a change of association as she had represented England up to Under-21 level.
Eileen Gleeson had no doubts about her calibre, and started Patten in the Euro 2025 qualifier against France in Metz just four days after her eligibility had been rubber-stamped.
She did well in a 1-0 defeat, but admits now it was a headache-inducing experience, the highest test of nerve and skill she’d ever encountered.
"The intensity of international football, I don’t think you can compare it to the league," Patten said ahead of Friday’s Euro 2025 play-off semi-final against Georgia in Tbilisi.
"It’s also that kind of emotion of an international game that you probably don’t feel playing week in week out in the league. There’s something so special about that heightened emotion, but it is also something that you’ve got to learn to manage.
"There is a massive step up. That’s what it’s all about. I want to be playing at the highest level and being in Group A and playing against those top opponents.
"You do have really large spells without the ball and that’s when you really need to remain focused. I think I came out of the majority of those games with a headache from just having to follow the ball, checking your surroundings, knowing all the different runs.
"They’re such smart players and you don’t know what they’re going to do. You can’t switch off at any moment. There is a massive mental part of playing those opponents, along with the physical side."
Patten established herself in Gleeson’s back line and finished a challenging qualification campaign on a high, heading home the game-clinching third goal in a 3-1 win against world No 2-ranked France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Afterwards she dedicated the goal to her late grandfather Donald Coyle, a Donegal man who inspired her to further explore the possibility of playing for Ireland.
The gravity of it all underlined the uniquely bright spotlight of the international stage.
"The emotions of that, the emotions of the heightened nerves," Patten added.
"You’re wanting to do your best for your country. You’re wanting to really prove yourself and dealing with the pressures of that.
"It was definitely a whirlwind, but it was unbelievable. It was such an honour to make my debut. It all came about really quickly, but that’s what you want, you want to be able to be on that stage and you want to be playing those opponents.
"I remember having that moment in the tunnel before playing France, it was like, 'wow this is it, this is really happening’. It was so good being able to play those level of opponents in my first few fixtures. I learned a lot about me as a player on that stage and what I need to do to improve as well."
"We can't look at the previous results."
After squaring up to England, France and Sweden – all ranked inside the world’s top six – a two-legged play-off against 118th-ranked Georgia is a very different proposition.
Ireland are expected to win, and to win handsomely. When the countries met during qualification for the 2023 World Cup, the Girls in Green beat the minnows 11-0 in Tallaght and 9-0 in Gori.
The biggest challenge facing Ireland is probably grappling with their own mentality; there’ll be noises all week about guarding against a slackening of professionalism, or creeping complacency.
"We can’t look at the previous results," Patten stressed.
"Obviously they’re in the play-offs for a reason, and I think because they are play-offs there’s an extra level to it, it’s almost like a cup game fixture, you never know what’s going to happen. We’ve got to be really on it, really on our best game and focus on the task ahead.
"It’s really exciting coming into camp always, just to see everyone again. They’re really important games for us that are must-wins."
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