On the eve of their monumental second leg away to Ireland, Wales are ready to create their own bit of history.
After a 1-1 draw in Cardiff on Friday night, Wales head to Dublin knowing a win will see them qualify for their first major tournament.
The stakes simply couldn’t be higher, but Wilkinson is aiming to make things feel as normal as possible.
“Our aim as a staff is to keep our process similar, regardless of what kind of game it is. The players are, of course, going to be heightened in nerves, as will staff, but to come back to the process and to come back to who we are is the goal.”
A big positive heading into this clash for the Canadian is that she has a fully fit squad to select from, and for captain Angharad James, she believes everyone is in a good place ready for Tuesday.
“The group is in a good place. We had a good recovery session after the game, but it wasn’t the performance that we wanted, however, we’re ready to put it right tomorrow. We’re raring to go.”
Everyone is aware of what this team could do if they are to emerge victorious tomorrow, and sometimes, it’s impossible to not get swept up in the heat of the moment.
Yet, Wilkinson says talks of what could happen tomorrow have been almost non-existent, and says no matter what happens, the overwhelming feeling she’ll have come the end of the game will be pride.
“I don’t need to mention anything about history. The players know. We’ve talked about the history as we came through the group stages, and now it doesn’t need to be mentioned.
“The only thing that I keep coming back to is that no matter what happens tomorrow, I’ve never been prouder of a group of people.
“Football is a crazy game, things go in different ways, but I’ll be proud of them no matter what. They’ve put Welsh football on the map.”
But for James, she is fully aware of the opportunity that’s staring them in the face.
While it’s this squad that can write their names into the history books, the Seattle Reign star was eager to say, without those in the past, the present wouldn’t be possible.
“It’s not just about the 23 or 24 players that are here now, this has been a process that started years ago.
“Sophie has been integral in that, as has Elise, but this has been down to players before us who have helped us get to this point, and we’re just the fortunate ones who are able to take to the field tomorrow night and hopefully create history.”
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Home pressure
Ireland are a team chasing their own history, as they try and reach their second consecutive major tournament, and their first ever Euros.
They have also come off a campaign in League A of the Nations League, where they impressed against France, England, and Sweden.
And with them being the higher ranked side, neutrals will see this as theirs to lose, and Wilkinson is happy to go along with that narrative.
“It’s on the coach of the home nation to talk about the massive advantage of playing at home and having a huge crowd behind them, equally there’s huge pressure on you at home.
“You love playing in front of huge crowds, but we’re excited to be here in a fabulous stadium.
“There’ll be a great team stepping out for Ireland, but the pressure will be on them, which is always a good thing for me and my team.”
Playing against a 25k strong Irish support can certainly be considered daunting, but Wales will be buoyed by a big away support of around 400 fans.
To see almost half a thousand make the trip over the Irish Sea shows how far this team has come, and James knows they can roar Wales on to victory.
“It means a lot to have so many fans come over for this game. As a group, they’ve followed us since the first game, and we’ve grown our fanbase a lot since then with each away trip that has gone by.
“To have 300 or 400 of them here tomorrow will be special. I know a lot of our families will be here too. It’s been an effort together, and they’ll be right behind us.”
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Pressure is a privilege
When you ask Ireland about the pressure of playing at home, it’s not something they’re afraid of, far from it.
Manager Eileen Gleeson knows what’s expected of her and her team, but says it’s something they’re relishing.
“It’s all about focusing on the job at hand and what we need to do ourselves. It’s absolutely brilliant for us to be coming out at home in front of 25,000 fans. We’re here, there’s pressure on us, and it’s a pressure situation, but that’s an absolute honour.
“We will embrace all of our support, and we’re looking forward to them being loud and vocal. There’s an occasion, but there’s also a game, and we have to manage the game while being respectful of Wales and their attributes.”
The first leg was certainly an aggressive affair, with plenty of battles taking place across the pitch.
Ireland captain Katie McCabe is used to being involved in those skirmishes, but said Wales resorted to “cheap shots” in Cardiff, and knows Ireland will be ready for anything thrown at them.
“They were cheap shots, nothing more than that. I don’t mind going toe-to-toe with someone in a tackle, but ones off the ball are not on.
“If that’s the way they want to play, we will be prepared for it. We know what we have to do tomorrow, we know what’s at stake, and we will be leaving everything out there.”
Having faced a vocal Welsh crowd in Cardiff, Ireland now have the home advantage in their favour.
Asked what Wales can expect playing at the Aviva Stadium, the Arsenal veteran gave a brief answer.
“They will see tomorrow what it’ll be like.”
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