Teenager Kerr gets first Northern Ireland call-up

Aimee Kerr, a midfielder for Glentoran, has received her first call-up for their Nations League clash with Romania.

After impressing in her first Women’s Premiership season, the 18-year-old joins the squad in the place of injured club teammate Chloe McCarron who has previously led NI at under-19 level.

After losing their first two games to Poland and winning at home against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Tanya Oxtoby’s team moved into second place in Group B1.

After falling to second-place Romania in their first two games, they travel to Bucharest on Friday 4 April for a home game in Windsor Park four days later.

In addition to her February squad, Oxtoby has made a change to Nottingham Forest full-back Nat Johnson by adding Linfield defender Abi Sweetlove.

Sweetlove, who also led NI at under-19 level, was an unreserved substitute for Croatia’s second leg of the Euro play-off.

With the switch to Abi and Nat, “we probably needed more central [defensive] options,” Oxtoby said, adding that Aimee is a “like for like replacement” for Chloe.

We’ve been tracking those two players for a while, and we’ve forward planned when, in light of the opposition and our squad composition, we might need them.

I’m really looking forward to them joining us, and this window seemed like a really good opportunity.

Nadene Caldwell and Kascie Weir, both of whom were late additions to the Glentoran squad last month, are still in place.

Striker Weir made her Inver Park debut playing off the bench in the 2-0 loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina in Gdansk before impressing in the 3-2 victory.

Defenders: Abi Sweetlove (Linfield Women), Rebecca Holloway, Rebecca McKenna, and Ellie Mason (all Birmingham City Women), Laura Rafferty (Rangers Women), and Rachel Dugdale (Blackburn Rovers Women).

Louise McDaniel and Brenna McPartlan are both women at Burnley, but Nadene Caldwell, Aimee Kerr is also a woman at Glentoran. Megan Bell is a woman at Nottingham Forest, but Connie Scofield is a loanee from London City Lionesses.

With the two newest additions, what was a youthful Northern Ireland squad has just grown older.

After Keri Halliday and Kascie Weir in the last few months, Aimee Kerr and Abi Sweetlove are the latest to enter the under-19 production.

Halliday and Weir have impressed, demonstrating the potential for advancement and the development of promising young players in Northern Ireland.

Since they have been playing regularly in the domestic league like Halliday and Weir, Kerr and Sweetlove are confident of making a similar impression.

Before the second leg of the Euro play-off against Croatia, Linfield’s Sweetlove will be aware of what to expect, while Kerr’s rise is much more rapid than Linfield’s. Linfield trained with the squad and alongside seasoned defenders.

She made the transition to Women’s Premiership side Glentoran in 2024 after four years playing for Ballyclare Comrades in the second tier.