HOURS AFTER JOINING on an emergency loan deal, Irish goalkeeper Katie Keane proved Sheffield United’s penalty shootout hero in their League Cup win over Durham last night.
Joy Ralph also scored her first goal for the Blades on a memorable night for the former Shamrock Rovers and Ireland U19 teammates.
1-1 after normal time, Keane produced two saves to secure the bonus point for her temporary club as they won the penalty shootout 3-2.
Sheffield United announced the signing of Keane on a week-long emergency loan deal from Leicester City yesterday evening, registering the former Rovers, Athlone Town and Shelbourne star just in time for the Durham game with their other ‘keepers injured.
It was a whirlwind for the Meath 19-year-old, who joined WSL side Leicester on a three-year deal from Rovers this summer.
“Absolutely delighted,” Keane reflected. “It’s some debut! To think that I haven’t actually been a Sheffield player until about four hours ago, that’s just the fun of it you know?
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“The penos, thank God I saved them. The game was really, really good and I’m really proud of all the girls and the youngsters who came on and put in a really good shift.”
Sheffield boss Luke Turner hailed Keane’s performance and impact. “She’s strong, she’s commanding, she’s really vocal with her communication. She makes great decisions with the ball in possession. She’s a fantastic all round goalkeeper.
“Obviously, she’s only young and she’s got a lot of developing to do but I’ve got no doubt that you’ll see Katie Keane playing at the top level of the game, both (for) club and internationally.
“Brilliant for her to step in, and we’re thankful to Leicester for allowing us the emergency loan. It’s great that we’ve got her for the short period. She’s straight away taken to the girls, to the staff, she’s been brilliant to have around the place.”
Ralph also recently left Rovers to sign her first full-time, professional contract, and she marked her first Sheffield start with a brilliant finish in the first-half.
“Really pleased for Joy getting her first goal for the club. That was great,” Turner added.
Jess Ziu’s return was another positive on a night where several other Irish players featured across the 10 League Cup games.
Ziu made her first competitive appearance in a year as she completed her comeback from a second ACL injury.
On loan from West Ham United, her Bristol City debut ended in a penalty shootout defeat to Birmingham City. But Ziu will be pleased to have started and played a half, alongside Ireland U19 captain Lia O’Leary.
Lucy Quinn scored a 52nd-minute penalty for Birmingham and assisted their other goal, but didn’t feature as Blues wrapped up a 4-3 shootout win.
Elsewhere, Liverpool Women paid tribute to their former manager Matt Beard as they defeated Sunderland 5-0 – their first match since his shock death at the weekend.
Leanne Kiernan made her first competitive start of the season for the Reds.
Women’s League Cup results
Charlton 1-5 West Ham
Durham 1-1 Sheffield United (Sheffield win 3-2 on penalties)
Manchester City 3-1 Everton
Liverpool 5-0 Sunderland
Birmingham City 2-2 Bristol City (Birmingham win 4-3 on penalties)
Portsmouth 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Tottenham 0-0 Aston Villa (Tottenham win 7-6 on penalties)
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Young Irish goalkeeper proves penalty shootout hero hours after emergency loan
LAST UPDATE | 25 Sep 2025
HOURS AFTER JOINING on an emergency loan deal, Irish goalkeeper Katie Keane proved Sheffield United’s penalty shootout hero in their League Cup win over Durham last night.
Joy Ralph also scored her first goal for the Blades on a memorable night for the former Shamrock Rovers and Ireland U19 teammates.
1-1 after normal time, Keane produced two saves to secure the bonus point for her temporary club as they won the penalty shootout 3-2.
Sheffield United announced the signing of Keane on a week-long emergency loan deal from Leicester City yesterday evening, registering the former Rovers, Athlone Town and Shelbourne star just in time for the Durham game with their other ‘keepers injured.
It was a whirlwind for the Meath 19-year-old, who joined WSL side Leicester on a three-year deal from Rovers this summer.
“Absolutely delighted,” Keane reflected. “It’s some debut! To think that I haven’t actually been a Sheffield player until about four hours ago, that’s just the fun of it you know?
“The penos, thank God I saved them. The game was really, really good and I’m really proud of all the girls and the youngsters who came on and put in a really good shift.”
Sheffield boss Luke Turner hailed Keane’s performance and impact. “She’s strong, she’s commanding, she’s really vocal with her communication. She makes great decisions with the ball in possession. She’s a fantastic all round goalkeeper.
“Obviously, she’s only young and she’s got a lot of developing to do but I’ve got no doubt that you’ll see Katie Keane playing at the top level of the game, both (for) club and internationally.
“Brilliant for her to step in, and we’re thankful to Leicester for allowing us the emergency loan. It’s great that we’ve got her for the short period. She’s straight away taken to the girls, to the staff, she’s been brilliant to have around the place.”
Ralph also recently left Rovers to sign her first full-time, professional contract, and she marked her first Sheffield start with a brilliant finish in the first-half.
“Really pleased for Joy getting her first goal for the club. That was great,” Turner added.
Jess Ziu’s return was another positive on a night where several other Irish players featured across the 10 League Cup games.
Ziu made her first competitive appearance in a year as she completed her comeback from a second ACL injury.
On loan from West Ham United, her Bristol City debut ended in a penalty shootout defeat to Birmingham City. But Ziu will be pleased to have started and played a half, alongside Ireland U19 captain Lia O’Leary.
Lucy Quinn scored a 52nd-minute penalty for Birmingham and assisted their other goal, but didn’t feature as Blues wrapped up a 4-3 shootout win.
Elsewhere, Liverpool Women paid tribute to their former manager Matt Beard as they defeated Sunderland 5-0 – their first match since his shock death at the weekend.
Leanne Kiernan made her first competitive start of the season for the Reds.
Women’s League Cup results
- Published 11.32am, updated 3.12pm with quotes
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