Lucy Quinn is desperate to repay the trust Vera Pauw has shown in her ahead of the Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifier showdown with Sweden in Gothenburg.
Ireland are second in Group A behind the formidable Swedes, who they square up to next Tuesday (live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player, 5.30pm). Taking the runner-up spot - and a with it a place in the play-offs - has been the realistic goal from the outset and the Girls in Green are well placed to achieve that as the campaign heads for its climax.
For Birmingham City attacker Quinn - whose grandparents hail from Sligo - it has been a whirlwind nine months.
She finally received her Irish passport last September after a process that had lasted five years, and went straight into the squad for the friendly against Australia.
Quinn's free-kick led to the opening goal just two minutes in, Ireland went on to win the game 3-2, and she's been a mainstay in the side ever since. Good things come to those who wait.
"Your relationship with the manager, wherever you go, is the most important thing," she said when reflecting on that first call-up.
"They have to have faith in you and believe you can play an important part in the team. As soon as I came in [Pauw] made it very clear that she was so excited to have me here and get me involved.
"It's about taking that pressure and running with it."
"Starting in that first game [against Australia] she didn't need to say anything - she'd instilled me with a lot of trust. She has faith in my ability. That gave me confidence but also gave me responsibility to go out and perform.
"I was just thrilled to be in with the squad, even just training with the players that are here. Obviously getting my passport last minute was unexpected and I didn't expect to feature in that Australia game at all.
"I've been a regular ever since then, which is a dream come true, and something I never thought would happen."
Familiarity breeds more expectation, says 28-year-old Quinn, who feels like she has now shed the 'new girl' tag and is embracing the challenge of consistently proving her worth.
"I came in originally to see what I could do and see if I could adapt to the squad, to be a good addition. Now the manager and the girls are expecting things of me regularly.
"They're asking me to produce in games. I come in with that on my shoulders, knowing I'm going to have to contribute. I'm really enjoying that part of it, knowing I'm being relied on a little bit now, but also just the position we've put ourselves in, getting some great results in the campaign and it just becoming more realistic that we can seriously do something in this group.
"It's about taking that pressure and running with it. You need to produce, and I think that's only going to help make me better."
Quinn is part of a cluster of Irish players at Birmingham that includes Louise Quinn, Harriet Scott, Jamie Finn, Marie Hourihan and Eleanor Ryan Doyle.
The Blues are bottom of the Women's Super League table with five points from 18 games and look certain to go down.
It has been a challenging year - but Quinn has managed to shine.
"It's a position none of us wanted to be in," she said when asked about Birmingham's relegation scrap.
"I think everyone who has been in and around Birmingham or watched our performances can say we've given absolutely everything. Some of the performances have been top drawer and we just haven't got the result.
"It is tough but you have to keep fighting till the end. There's still points available. It's not over until it's over.
"Personally it was a season I think I needed in my career, playing regular minutes being a bit more of a senior player in the squad. I think that was really important for me, especially coming into my international career."
Right now her focus is solely on toppling the Swedes. The world's No-2 ranked side can book their ticket to the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand if they beat Georgia on Thursday and then follow that up with three points against the Irish.
Those in attendance at the Gamla Ullevi stadium will be in party mode; with over 10,000 tickets sold for the game, they'll be expecting a triumphant evening.
Still, Sweden only squeezed past Ireland 1-0 in Tallaght thanks to an unfortunate Louise Quinn own goal and the visitors are highly motivated to show what they can do.
"The calibre of team they are, they're second in the world for a reason," said Quinn.
"You watch them in the Olympics and you watch what they're doing in their club careers and stuff like that, it's something you want to be a part of.
"You want to play those games, you want to test yourself. We played them in Tallaght and put on a good performance. If that doesn't fill you with confidence I don't know what will.
"Being underestimated might come in useful. We all kind of know we are [underdogs] but we can put ourselves in an unbelievable position in the group if we can get results against Sweden... Finland, Slovakia.
"It really sets us up and makes people take notice of what this small little country is doing on the international stage."
Republic of Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Reading), Megan Walsh (Brighton & Hove Albion), Eve Badana (DLR Waves)
Defenders: Harriet Scott (Birmingham City), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Claire Walsh (Glasgow City), Chloe Mustaki (Shelbourne), Claire O'Riordan (MSV Duisburg), Éabha O'Mahony (Boston College), Megan Campbell (Liverpool), Áine O'Gorman (Peamount United)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ruesha Littlejohn (Aston Villa), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Ciara Grant (Rangers), Jess Ziu (Shelbourne), Lily Agg (London City Lionesses), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Isibeal Atkinson (Celtic)
Forwards: Heather Payne (Florida State University), Kyra Carusa (HB Hoge), Amber Barrett (FC Koln), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Ellen Molloy (Wexford Youths), Abbie Larkin (Shelbourne)
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Watch Sweden v Republic of Ireland (Tuesday 12 April, 5.30pm), live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with live blog on RTÉ News app and RTE.ie/Sport
