Liam Scales is having quite the week; from helping Celtic to a comprehensive victory over arch rivals Rangers at a packed Parkhead to heading home for international duty as Ireland take on England in Dublin on Saturday evening.
The first leg of a unique double for the former Shamrock Rovers man who has gone from strength to strength since leaving the Dublin club and the League of Ireland to sign for Celtic and play in the top tier of Scottish football.
The versatile defender has gone on to win the title with the Celts, battle it out in the group stages of the Champions League, while first getting called up for his country and then proving himself in the heart of the defence in the green of Ireland.
But not without the odd hurdle to negotiate along the way, as Scales was deemed surplus to requirements once, and almost twice, at Celtic before finally working his way into a starting spot at the beginning of last season.
And only then could Scales showcase his skills, as he dug in and cemented the position for himself with the Glasgow giants becoming a rock in the heart of Brendan Rodgers' defence in their league-winning season.
Likewise with Ireland, Scales’ first start began out on the left side of the defence in what proved to be a tough introduction to the international game as Ireland were shocked 2-0 at home to Greece.
Scales survived the half-time defensive re-jig, moving centrally for the second half, while Nathan Collins was hauled off, and he has barely put a foot wrong in the green jersey since, impressing in all five of his Ireland appearances.
Now Scales arrives into this international week with his head held high and still buzzing from the Celtic Park experience as the Old Firm victory put five points between the Glasgow rivals with just four games played this season.
And while he said that he kept his head down at previous international camps, he now feels that he belongs in such company and is confident of his roll and certain of the contribution that he can offer to the team.
"It's as good as it gets," beamed Scales, speaking to the media after a Dublin training session.
"It's not happened before that a player will have Rangers one week and England the next. Hopefully we can do as well as we did on the weekend against Rangers, bring that into Ireland against England.
"It's been a great start, I am happy with how I am doing personally and the team, we have had a near perfect start, not conceded a goal in the league and into the next round in the League Cup, five wins in five games is a good start."
In a whirlwind 12 months with the national team, Scales will now play under his third Ireland manager following the departure of Stephen Kenny and the short-lived, four-game tenure of interim manager John O’Shea.
However, he is not perturbed by the fact that he now has to settle into the ways and workings of Heimir Halgrimsson who is similarly at the start of his international journey with Ireland.
"It's nothing we are not used to, we had it with previous managers," said Scales. It's good because we are getting a clear message of what's wanted from us in his first few days.
"Just be compact defensively and not be open, work as a unit. Tactically I can't say too much but be compact and difficult to break down, defending our space well and working as a chain in our unit.
"I’ve been in a few squads now. Coming into the first one is always a bit nerve-wracking, you don’t know what to expect and it took me a while to come out of my shell a bit. I just came in and went about my business because I didn’t want to come across over the top or anything.
"But now I know the lads a bit better and it’s nice to come in and see them all every couple of months, I’m enjoying it.
"As a player, playing a hundred games has improved me a lot, I have a lot more experience. The first squad I was in, I had just finished playing for Shamrock Rovers; it’s a great club and a great experience for me, but I’ve played 100 games at a different level and that has improved me a lot."
Looking ahead to the England game, the new coach should have an easy job getting the team up for his fixture as Scales believes the players will not need any extra motivation going into such a high-profile game.
And while Scales is all too well aware of the significance of such a special night for Irish football, he said that he will just use a small element of the historical context for self-motivation, otherwise, it may affect his regular approach to games, which he believes is key to consistency.
"I don’t think we need more motivation than just playing for your country in the first place, but there is that extra there for the public, and you know how much it means to a lot of people," said Scales.
"I’ll use it a little bit, but it won’t be too different to a normal game, you have to keep it the way you usually do, you don’t want to change too many things in the way you get yourself up for a game, so it will be minor things."
The manager has called for leaders and gamechangers for the upcoming fixtures, and while Scales does not feel he is ready to become one of the main voices in the dressing room, he is happy to let his football do the talking for the time being.
"There is obviously more experienced players than me in the squad, more caps and been in bigger games and more camps than me.
"I’ll just bring what I can.
"There are bigger leaders than me, players that are here longer than me and I don’t want to overstep my role, but at the same time I know I can bring what I can bring.
"I can bring something unique and I’ll do that. I don’t think right now I’ll be taking on a leadership role. I’ll just do what I usually do, and that’s it."
And once the hefty price of the ticket has been negotiated, Scales will be delighted to have his biggest fan, his father, present at the game, cheering on his son and his fellow Boys in Green despite hailing from central London.
"The Irish end, definitely. If I can get tickets: they're very expensive," said Scales, when asked which end his father would be cheering from.
"He’s from London, the centre of London really. He is fully invested in my career for so many years now that it’s not even a choice for him.
"He used to bring us to the Irish games when we were kids and he has followed Irish football longer than me. That won’t be a difficult choice for him."
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
