Jess Fishlock has told her Wales teammates it is time to step up to the mark when they play the Republic of Ireland in Newport on Friday night.

The Wales striker has urged the youngsters in the team to grasp their opportunity in the friendly, having gone out of contention to make the UEFA European Championships.

Wales face the Irish at Rodney Parade in preparation for their remaining dead rubber qualifiers against Israel and Austria in September.

But experienced star Fishlock, 29, who plays for Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League in the USA and will win her 88th cap, insisted: “We’re really excited. We haven’t been together for a while now and we always enjoy being together.

“We’re looking forward to the next campaign, which is really important for us, and we’re really excited.

“We’re going to have to look past the Euros now because we can’t qualify and look to the next campaign.

“Those young girls are going to be huge players throughout that campaign so this is why these games are so important.

“Not just for them but for the whole group,” she added. “We have to get used to them and they have to get used to the standard we want and the way Jayne wants us to play.

“So friendlies are always important. The result is not the main thing – it’s about what we get out of it and hopefully we can get good things out of this one.”