Josh Cullen's resilience was tested somewhat in the aftermath of Republic of Ireland's 1-0 home loss to France last March.
A rousing all-round performance, a disciplined defensive display, a lung-bursting showing from Chiedozie Ogbene, all came to naught after Cullen's fatal decision to play a lateral pass to Jason Knight.
As most will recall, Benjamin Pavard intercepted the pass and without a second's hesitation, lashed a vicious shot past Gavin Bazunu into the net, off the underside of the crossbar.
It was a mis-step for the 2021 FAI Player of the Year award winner, who had established himself as one of the most reliable and consistent performers in the Stephen Kenny era.
"Of course it hurts," says Cullen, reflecting on the evening. "You're disappointed with yourself in that moment.
"Because we care so much it hurts for a few days and it’s something you have to get over.
"You have to have that resilience in the way you play. Obviously you only have one chance to make that split second decision and not every decision you make on a football pitch is going to be right when you’re playing against the quality of opposition of the level of France, you’re going to get punished.
"As a player I try to set myself high standards and always analyse my game. A moment like that doesn't need too much analysing. You made a mistake and for a few days after it, you take it on the chin and move on from it."
Cullen, who was an ever present in Vincent Kompany's Burnley side as they cruised back to the Premier League, has learned to park such disappointments quickly enough.
"That's all you can do. Certainly on the pitch after you make a mistake you cannot dwell on it. It can get away from you very quickly if you do that and one mistake can become a lot more.
"I tried to get it out of my head as quick as I could on the night. But after the game it hurt. Making a mistake is difficult to take, especially in a game for your country and a game of the magnitude that it was.
"On the pitch you got to show the mental strength to get on with it and still put in the best performance for the team.
"It's something that hurt – no doubt about it – but it’s something I tried to move on from as quickly as I could. It’s out of my head now and I’m looking forward to the game on Thursday."
"I tried to get it out of my head as quick as I could on the night. But after the game it hurt.
Notwithstanding the angst over what could have been, there was reasonable positivity in the aftermath of the French defeat, the manner of the performance against the World Cup runners-up generating plenty of goodwill.
The Kenny believers were briefly in the ascendant again. As has happened so often, they were knocked on their backside again after the harrowing defeat in Athens in June. It remains to be seen whether they'll be able to get off the floor again.
For the second campaign in a row, Ireland's qualification chances looked impossibly remote almost from the get-go. Add to that, the shaky Nations League campaigns and the voices demanding change were growing louder.
"I feel like we are well in the group. We know we are going to have to win games, and win games against very good sides, but I feel like we are well in the group. We believe in ourselves going into the game on Thursday and going into the game on Sunday, that we can do something special.
"I think we showed that in the first performance against France, that we can definitely match them. It is something we are looking forward to doing on Thursday.
"Six points would be very special. Sitting here now if you offered any of us four points we would be delighted with that now. But first and foremost it is about Thursday and making sure we prepare right to put in the best performance that we can."
Cullen heads for this international window as one of the noticeably growing band of Irish players in the Premier League - not much of a boast two decades ago but now taken gratefully as evidence of green shoots.
The 27-year old midfielder had very briefly sampled the Premier League with West Ham at the beginning of the 2017-18 season before his then parent club farmed him out on loan to Bolton Wanderers and subsequently Charlton Athletic.
A two-year sojourn in Anderlecht developed him as a player and certainly helped his standing in the eyes of Kenny, who placed a premium on players getting regular game-time. In the summer of 2022, he returned to England to play a central role in Burnley's dominant Championship campaign. After six years, he's back in the English top flight.
While they're struggling to adjust to the jump in standard - like Luton, they have zero points from three games - Cullen has been given the added perk of the captain's armband, something which could be of relevance this week.
"I've not thought about it too much, to be honest. Whether I have the armband or not, I try to be the same player and person on the pitch and try and lead by example whenever I can.
"So, the armband has been nice for me, it’s special to captain a Premier League side but I wouldn’t say I’ve thought about it too much. It hasn’t changed my approach to games or the way I am. I’ve just tried to carry on what I’m doing for the team."
With John Egan in a race for fitness ahead of Thursday, the experienced Cullen's captaincy duties may not be just confined to the club scene.
"We are speaking in theoretics. I don't know. Obviously we hope John is going to be fit and knowing the type of person that he is we know he will do everything to be fit.
"And yet, if I was to be given the arm band on Thursday or at any point further down in my national career it would be right up there as one of the proudest moments of my life."
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