Casey Howe’s first season as a Glentoran player could not have gone much better on the field of play.

Winners’ medals for the Women’s Premiership and the County Antrim Women’s Cup are already tucked away in Casey’s rapidly expanding trophy cabinet, and the squad are on course for a clean sweep with the Women’s Irish Cup Final taking place on Friday.

Undergoing knee surgery

However, while her teammates are fighting for the coveted treble this week, Casey will be forced to watch from the side lines after undergoing knee surgery on Tuesday.

Despite the frustrating end to her campaign, she admits that her first season in the green of Glentoran was a dream come true following her eye catching move from rivals Linfield, where she had won her first league title in 2018/19. “I have loved every minute of it,” admitted the 19 year old. “It was the best move for me. I am really enjoying my football and I feel more confident, and I am playing a lot better than I did in previous seasons.

“I think I am probably playing the best football I ever have. I am loving the coaching and the players. The atmosphere is great, and I am loving it.”

After starting her playing career with Ballinamallard, Casey moved to Linfield where she captured the Under 19 NIWFA League Player of the Year two years in a row, and also claimed the league title during her four years at the club.

In April 2021 she switched to Belfast counterparts Glentoran, where she made an immediate impact and netted a hat-trick against her former club on her way to more trophy success.

Her latest cup victory came last weekend, when Glentoran prevailed in a penalty shoot out against season long rivals Cliftonville.

It had looked as though the Glens would miss out as they trailed 2-1 heading into injury time, but Casey, who had entered the action after an hour, struck a spectacular long range equaliser to take the game into extra time.

“We played well but we just weren’t at our best and Crusaders made it very tough for us,” she said.

“We went 2-1 down and the manager told me to come on and be myself, and go on and do what you do, and luckily I scored.

“It was just instinct to hit it.

‘How far out’

“When I watched it back I didn’t realise how far out I was, but it just came to me and I knew we had to get shots on the goal keeper and test them with it being so late in the game and 2-1 down.”

“The league was also a tight fight. It came down the second last game of the season when we played Cliftonville to see who would win.

“They brought it right to the wire and we have had a few up and downs this season, but it was definitely great to get it across the line.“

In between lifting trophies and scoring hat-tricks, Casey season has been disrupted by an ongoing knee injury that has limited her time on the pitch.

After playing through the pain barrier for most of the campaign she finally got a date for her surgery, frustratingly three days before the Irish Cup final.

“I have torn my meniscus in two places and I have been managing it all season, and that was the date I got for surgery and I didn’t want to turn it down,” she explained.

“I wanted to get it sorted, especially with all the international stuff coming up.

“Recovery will be between six weeks and three months depending on what the surgeon sees when he goes in. It depends on the extent of the damage.”

European target

Casey hopes the operation will allow her to come back in peak form, as she chases a spot in the Northern Ireland Women’s squad.

The squad are set to train full time from January as they prepare for the European Championships next summer in England, and Casey has set her sights on a Euros appearance.

“They play England at Wembley in the coming weeks and obviously I am gutted to be missing that one, but I am still young, and I am still trying to push into that squad,” she said.

“It is about trying to be one of the names in the squad, and keep working.

“With the injury being there all season it had been quite on and off for me. I had been playing for a few weeks, and then having to take a wee back step and rest it.

“A lot of the injury times had fallen over the international breaks so it has been hard, but now once I get my knee sorted I will hopefully be pushing for a place.”