Amber was our little goalden girl...

Official at Barrett’s old club said talent was obvious aged just 8

- DANNY DE VAAL

IRELAND soccer star Amber Barrett was a “prolific goalscorer” when she was just eight, a member of her former club said.

Noel Gillespie, treasurer at Milford United, added the 27-year-old sharpshooter from Donegal was often in the starting 11 ahead of some of her male peers.

Noel, 52, told the Irish Mirror: “She began with the under-9s, under-10s boys and under-11s.

“She moved on to play with the under-12s boys in the local leagues. Even then, she played up front. She was extremely fast and strong.

“The referees and other teams would compliment her on her speed and her finishing.

“Amber was great on the ball … she would have been scoring goals all the time, she would have been known as a prolific goalscorer. Her career really started in Milford.

“Everybody in the club and the county knew she was extremely talented at that age. “She was in the starting 11. There would have been boys on the bench and she would have been on. She was that good and she had the speed. She hasn’t lost the speed at all.”