The recalled Aaron Connolly couldn't say yes quick enough when Republic of Ireland under-21 manager Jim Crawford rang to get him on board for the crucial play-off matches with Israel.
Connolly starred in a 1-1 draw, earning player of the match in a performance that will have impressed senior boss Stephen Kenny.
"It was only about two weeks ago I spoke to Jim," said Connolly.
"I spoke to (current FAI football consultant) John Morling first. And he just said would I be interested and I couldn't say yes quick enough.
"Then I spoke to Jim and he talked me through how it's going to pan out. He said come in, work hard and we'll go from there so that’s what I done. So I'm just looking to build on that performance now."
He was a constant thorn in the side of the Israeli defence, the little and large combination of Connolly and strike partner Evan Ferguson causing Guy Luzon's side headaches.
WHAT A LEAP
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 23, 2022
Evan Ferguson heads home Tyreik's Wrights's corner to level things up in Tallaght#rtesoccer
📺 Watch Live https://t.co/aR8cFzAlWf
📱 Live updates https://t.co/GM5KdWBhOi pic.twitter.com/CvT7gtNFPm
"Aaron was outstanding," said manager Jim Crawford.
"We have been questioning about bringing him in but I had no hesitation, once we had those initial conversations and he wanted to come in.
"He proved to everyone that he adores putting on the green jersey, he went so close to scoring in the first half and again at the end of the game, he was a constant thorn in their side.
"I don't know how long he will be with the U21s but if he keeps playing like that he will be back in the senior team."
"We can definitely win it" - #IRLU21 manager is confident ahead of the second leg with Israel on Tuesday | #COYBIG | #WeAreOne #rtesoccer pic.twitter.com/ujVTCBGGSB
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 23, 2022
Before Connolly can get himself back into the senior set-up, the possibility of qualifying for a major tournament at U21 level has to be negotiated first.
The Boys in Green head to Tel Aviv on Tuesday for the second leg which is live on the RTE Player with a 6.15pm kick off.
"He knows well himself it can't be just one performance, he has to carry that on, to reach the top it's not having spells of being a top pro, you have to live being a top pro day in, day out," said Crawford.
"He knows that, he is aware of that, to admit it as he did in an interview, when I saw the interview it got me thinking that we need to make contact and he didn't let anyone down."
Some questioned his recall back to this age group, but Connolly left nobody in doubt about his motivations, by his performances on the pitch and by his words post match too.
"Hopefully people can see that I am hungrier than ever to play for Ireland," said Connolly.
"When the chance came to play in a game like that I couldn't say no. I’m hungrier than ever to put on a green shirt at any level now, just hungry to kick on again and rebuild my career and probably show some people that I am not done yet."
It was so close to being the perfect start after the Oranmore man broke through the Israeli defence thanks to a Conor Coventry pass, but somehow the ball didn't go in after a fantastic save from 'keeper Daniel Peretz.
"I've said to my parents there, I don’t know how that didn’t go in, the way it spun off the post and come out, but obviously it sums up the last year and half of my career really.
"I just need a bit of luck maybe at times, but besides that I thought we created chances. If we play like that on Tuesday then I have no doubts we can go through."
Aaron Connolly inches away from announcing his return to Under-21s with a bang!#rtesoccer
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 23, 2022
📺 Watch Live https://t.co/aR8cFzAlWf
📱 Live updates https://t.co/GM5KdWBhOi pic.twitter.com/Ghxd1JZOTR
Follow the Republic of Ireland v Scotland this Saturday (kick-off 7.45pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, watch live on RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player, or listen to national radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
