Jim Crawford has challenged his players to reap the reward he believes they deserve by becoming the first Republic of Ireland team to qualify for the European Under-21s Championship.
Ireland head into Sunday's Group 1 clash with Iceland at Tallaght Stadium knowing victory would send them to bottom-of-the-table Luxembourg on Wednesday, when a win would almost certainly secure qualification, at worst as one of the best five runners-up.
Having embarked upon the campaign as fourth seeds in a group headed by Italy, that would represent a significant achievement and manager Crawford is hopeful his side can get across the finishing line.
Asked what qualification would meant to him, he said: "It would be fantastic for myself. Ultimately, I've been here since the very first camp in this group, but I think it's more about the players than me.
"I think this group deserve to play in the finals - but there's a big difference between deserving and earning it. It's a massive game tomorrow and we're prepared.
"There's no doubt about it, there's been no stone unturned with regards to our prep, so the lads are up for it and I think they'll do our country proud tomorrow with regards to performance."
Ireland, who will have Millwall's on-loan Tottenham striker Troy Parrott among the substitutes following his return from an ankle injury, lost 1-0 in Reykjavik in October last year when Sveinn Aron Gudjohnsen, the son of former Chelsea and Barcelona striker Eidur, settled matters from the penalty spot.
Ireland skipper Conor Masterson emerged with a painful reminder of his trip to Iceland when his nose came into contact with Gudjohnsen's elbow, and he is determined to emerge victorious to settle a score.
Asked if they owed Gudjohnsen and his team-mates one, the QPR defender said: "A hundred per cent.
"The first thing I remember, I broke my nose, so it wasn't the best thing. It was a difficult night, I remember.
"They caught us off-guard. They slowed the game down, we got a man sent off - it was a bit of a hectic game. We played on astro and it wasn't ideal.
"They tried to use every advantage they had, so I think it's our turn to use our advantages."
