Duo drafted into Northern Ireland Women’s squad after withdrawals | OneFootball

Caragh Hamilton on the ball for Northern Ireland. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

Glentoran midfielder Caragh Hamilton has been drafted in to the Northern Ireland squad for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Latvia.

Hamilton, who cruelly missed out on Women’s Euro 2022 through injury, replaces Southampton defender Laura Rafferty, who has withdrawn from the squad.

A thigh injury prevented Hamilton from competing at the Euros in England last month, however she is now fully fit again.

Cliftonville defender Kelsie Burrows has also had to withdraw from Kenny Shiels’ panel due to personal circumstances.

Her absence means a first senior call-up for her club team-mate Grace McKimm.

McKimm, who can play in defence or in midfield, has previously played for Northern Ireland at U19 and U17 level.

She was part of the WU19 squad which performed strongly in League B qualifiers for Women’s U19 Euro 2022 back in April and gained promotion to League A for the next edition of the competition.

The seniors are set to play Luxembourg on Friday (2 September) at Stade Émile Mayrisch in Esch-sur-Alzette.

And then they will be taking on Latvia at the Daugava National Stadium in Riga next Tuesday (6 September).

The games will bring Northern Ireland’s FIFA World Cup 2023 qualification campaign in European Group D to a close.

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