Goalkeeper Abbie Smith said her archetypal call-up to the Northern Ireland elder squad was a "big surprise" arsenic she looks to juggle planetary shot with her GCSE exams.
The 16-year-old has been named successful the elder squad for the archetypal clip aft grooming with them past month.
Smith is present officially portion of the sheet for Nations League games against Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina, but she conceded she was somewhat apprehensive erstwhile she got the call-up, fixed the clash with upcoming exams.
"I got the email connected Monday, I was successful my country and I said to my mum 'I deliberation I conscionable got into the elder squad' and I showed her the email. I was buzzing erstwhile I saw it," she told BBC Sport NI.
"The GCSE occupation came into it, and I was a spot unnerved astir that but it's moving retired successful the end."
With GCSE exams coming up whilst she is distant successful camp, the teen says she volition person to proceed studying during downtime successful NI's preparations for games against unbeaten radical leaders Poland astatine Seaview and third-placed Bosnia-Herzegovina successful Zenica.
"I've already had 2 exams and I person 3 implicit the camp, but I'll get it sorted and support revising," she added.
The elder call-up marks different measurement successful the Lisburn native's accelerated emergence aft joining Manchester City connected a two-year assistance from Crusaders Strikers successful March.
Despite having aspirations of playing for the elder side, peculiarly aft grooming with the squad successful Leicester arsenic they prepared for their distant travel to Romania past month, adjacent Smith did not deliberation the authoritative call-up would travel truthful soon.
"I thought I was going with the 19s to their campy implicit the play truthful it was a large astonishment but I'm truly excited," she said.
"Everyone was truthful welcoming erstwhile I trained past month, it was a bully acquisition and a bully intensity.
"It has ever been my purpose and for it to beryllium truthful aboriginal it's unbelievable. I conscionable privation to get utilized to that situation and spot what a elder campy is like."
Smith believes her experiences astatine City, wherever she has trained with elder goalkeepers similar Khiara Keating and Katie Startup, tin assistance her accommodate rapidly to beingness successful the NI squad nether Tanya Oxtoby.
She is besides excited to bid with Northern Ireland goalkeeper Jackie Burns, who she has idolised.
"It's been truly bully astatine Man City to spot what the modular is similar and wherever you person to get to, it's truthful aggravated but it's truly helping with my development," she explained.
"I ever watched Jackie since going to the Northern Ireland matches and she's been idiosyncratic I've looked up to truthful conscionable being involved, grooming with her volition beryllium good."
Abbie comes from a household of goalkeepers, with her begetter Neil Smith antecedently lining up betwixt the sticks for Irish Premiership broadside Glenavon.
As a result, Neil believes helium is his daughter's "worst critic" but that helium is immensely arrogant of each she has achieved truthful far.
"Everything has travel truthful quickly, it has blown up successful the past six months, she has done truthful good but she dedicates herself and is getting her rewards now. She's shot mad," helium said.
Like his daughter, Neil was besides sceptical of however Abbie would negociate to juggle clip distant with the elder broadside and her exams.
Now the practicalities person been worked out, helium is delighted to beryllium capable to spell and enactment her against Poland, adjacent if she does not marque it connected the transportation astatine Seaview.
"After the archetypal excitement it was similar 'What astir the GCSEs?' but everything has worked retired and the schoolhouse has been superb with her," helium added.
"Nothing fazes her, it is ever let's determination to the adjacent level and hopefully that continues.
"We'll beryllium determination we don't expect excessively overmuch but she volition beryllium determination and about, and we volition beryllium determination to enactment her."
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