There was a bit of an early-Ireland John Aldridge vibe about Heather Payne.
A striker, but not a goal-getter.
A selfless and often thankless role, it was her job to chase into the corners and create space inside the area for others to run into.
While Katie McCabe, Denise O’Sullivan, Amber Barrett and others were banging in the goals, Payne was clocking up serious kilometres in the final third.
Just like Aldo in his first couple of years under Jack Charlton.
Unlike the former Liverpool man, however, Payne was never a natural striker. Her only goal in 34 appearances came in a 2021 friendly defeat away to Iceland.
And unlike Big Jack, Vera Pauw tore up the script and, ahead of Ireland’s first ever World Cup, she took Payne away from the frontline in a subtle, but telling tactical shift.
The focal point of Ireland’s attack during qualification because of her pace and an incredible engine, Payne will go to Australia as Ireland’s right-wing-back dynamo.
Taking her place up front will be Kyra Carusa, more of a hold-the-ball-up type striker.
And that suits Payne just fine.
It’s familiar terrain for the Ballinasloe native. Her international debut in 2018 was on the right, and that’s where she played for Florida State Seminoles.
The dress rehearsal against the USA in April - with Carusa up-front and Payne out wide - worked well.
Ireland gave the reigning world champions plenty of problems and were unlucky not to score over the two narrow defeats, in Austin and St Louis.
Payne, addressing her switch, admitted: “It’s a bit surreal. I’ve been named on the squad list as a forward for the last two years and now I’m down as a defender.
“Personally, I’ve always played on the wing, and right-full-back with FSU (Florida State University), so I’ve always been more comfortable playing wing-back.
“Playing in the forward role was completely new for me and I’ve had to develop over that time to take it on.
“Vera has found a new balance and I’m very happy where I am now.
“Against the US, it worked well and I think she’s happy with it now.
“Of course, I’d play anywhere. I’ve always been a versatile player throughout my career… but I am a lot more comfortable on the wing.
“I feel I can do a lot more with the ball. I’m a lot more comfortable.”
Cast your mind back almost 40 years to Aldridge’s early days in a green jersey. He drew blanks in his first 20 appearances, before going on to score 19 times for the Boys in Green.
But those early days were tough for a man who was prolific with Oxford United and Liverpool.
People judge strikers on their goals and Aldo - until a very charitable assist from Ray Houghton against Tunisia - wasn’t coming up with the goods.
His workrate was off the charts, just like Payne’s.
Yet the casual observer, who just saw the goals-to-caps ratio, might have been scratching their head, wondering why Pauw was persisting with her.
Was that something that concerned her?
“Of course it is difficult when you’re named as a striker and you’re not necessarily getting the goals,” replied Payne.
“But with the system we played, people will understand that being in that striker’s role is not just about scoring goals, there is a lot of defensive work in it.
“As a team collectively, we can get the goals regardless of who their name is. And that’s the great thing I love about this team, it’s more than just one player who scores the goals.
“We do it as a team. But as I said, yeah it was always tough up front, it was a new role for me.
“I’m now more comfortable on the right.”
Ironically, Payne’s goalscoring record might improve now that she has been pushed further back.
“With this new formation,” she said, “it allows myself and Katie to get higher up the field and support Kyra Carusa, who is getting it into feet. Then our two attacking midfielders can join.
“So if me and Katie can get higher up, we can cross and create chances.
“We’ll still have the three at the back to cover as well (when the wing-backs are advanced). It’s sound defensively, but it allows us to attack better.
“And we’ve jumped leaps and bounds in the past few years.
“I think we are growing more and more confident with the results we’re getting and the performances we’re putting in against the bigger nations.
“Showing we can do all that, really compete, is so important heading into a World Cup.”
Payne has put her athletics background to good use already for her country. She will continue to do so in her new role.
“I used to do a lot of cross-country running, I did a lot of swimming and Community Games, the whole lot,” she said.
“That has stood to me now. I used to do a lot of long-distance running as well.”
