KATIE McCABE admitted the Republic of Ireland “didn’t come close” to their standards in their humiliating loss to Slovenia.
But the Arsenal star vowed that they would use the chastening experience as a “wake up call”.
Carla Ward’s first international window in charge of the Girls in Green ended on a calamitous note with a 4-0 hammering on Tuesday night.
On Instagram, captain McCabe sent a message to fans, promising that the team will bounce back.
She said: “This team always puts on a fighting performance no matter who we play.
“Last night we did not play to our standards, not even close.
“I know that we have work to do, so we will use this as a wake up call and a learning experience to be better.
“This team never gives up”
Fellow talisman Denise O’Sullivan had issued a similar notice to her own Instagram account on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old said: “I am well aware I am in a very privileged position to get to put on an Ireland shirt and the responsibility I have to inspire a younger generation.
“Last night’s performance as a collective was no where near our standards and I’m sorry for that
“No excuses we take ownership and we move forward.”
Tuesday night’s game was Ireland’s heaviest competitive loss since being on the receiving end of an identical scoreline against Sweden in 2018.
While the Swedes are one of the elite nations, however, Slovenia are 14 places below the Girls in Green in the FIFA world rankings.
It was a night to forget for McCabe, who was winning her 95th cap in the green jersey.
The frustration was evident in her post-match interview with RTE‘s Tony O’Donoghue, towards the end of which she dropped an accidental F-bomb.
She admitted: “Yeah of course (it’s going to be difficult to accept).
“Look, we’re at the start of our journey with Carla and the coaching staff coming in.
“With a change of system there’s going to be hiccups like this but it shouldn’t have obviously been that big of a losing margin.
“But we’ll pick ourselves up. We’re a great bunch of players and girls.
“I know the girls f***ing love…sorry, absolutely love playing for their country.
“And we won’t put in a performance like that again.”
