Alan Mannus has Euro 2016 in his sights.
The St Johnstone keeper isn’t counting any chickens yet, but Northern Ireland look near certainties to qualify for the finals in France.
And should they seal their place at a major championships for the first time in 30 years next month, the former Linfield man is determined not to miss out.
“We all want to be there and we all want to play,” he said. “But it would be disappointing for me if we got to the finals and I wasn’t involved. That would be hard to deal with.
“But nothing is guaranteed in football. We will see what happens. And we have to get there first.
“We are in a good position after getting four points from the last two games. That was the minimum we wanted from the games against the Faroes and Hungary.
“I don’t remember Northern Ireland getting to a major championship so it would be huge for a country of our size if we do get to the Euros next summer.
“There hasn’t been any expectation of us doing it over the last 10 years and more. To do it now would be a brilliant achievement. We are very close but we aren’t there yet.
“I think the last time we made the finals of a competition was back in the eighties. People back home keep telling you about it.
“It would be pretty disappointing if we didn’t make it now. We have done so well to get ourselves into this position and now we have to get over the line. Within the camp we are staying focused on doing what we need to do.”
In an intriguing sub-plot to today’s match against Hamilton Accies, the opposition keeper is Michael McGovern. And McGovern is currently first choice for his country.
“Michael and I get on very well,” Mannus said. “We room together on trips and have done for years now. He has been doing well. He is a nice guy and we get on fine.”
Mannus admitted that he feared he was going to be left out of manager Michael O’Neill’s squad for the recent internationals.
He said: “One of the other keepers was injured and that gave me an opportunity to get back into the latest squad. I am hoping to retain my place now.
“I had warned the manager I was unavailable over the summer because of the wedding (to Leanne) and he brought in Trevor Carson from Hartlepool in League Two. He has been in before a couple of times.
“I thought I might miss out. But he broke his toe a few weeks ago. I’m not sure if I would have been involved otherwise.
“I have been involved with squads for 10 years now and been on the bench a lot of the time. I have probably sat on the bench more times than anyone else. The way I look at it, I have been fortunate to have been selected over all those years.
“The manager knows me very well. He was my manager at Shamrock Rovers for two years. He was brilliant for me. I have only had three or four managers during my career.”
Mannus is a big admirer of the former Saints player, adding: “You can see the players all believe in him and respect him.
“He lets experienced players like Jonny Evans, Chris Brunt and Stevie Davies have input. They are all playing at a high level in England.
“No matter what happens now, what Michael is achieving will have brought him to the attention of big clubs. If we get to the Euros who knows what opportunities he might have.”
For the moment Northern Ireland can wait. Three points against Accies is Mannus’s current concern.
He noted: “The win over Motherwell was important and this is another game we feel we should be getting three points from. But they will be viewing it the same way.
“We do need to get more points on board. We want to build on recent performances and get a good run going.”