Stephen Bradley hailed "a special night, both as a father and as a manager" after his Shamrock Rovers team shut out Portuguese side Santa Clara to reach the Conference League league stage for the second year in succession.
It's been a hugely emotional week for Bradley. Ten days ago his son Josh rang the bell at Crumlin Children's Hospital to signal the end of his cancer treatment, before the Hoops flew to the Azores where they pulled off a 2-1 first-leg win.
Last night, they finished the job with a brilliantly disciplined goalless draw at Tallaght Stadium, the South Stand unfurling a banner early in the game that read: 'Your courage and bravery inspires us all - one Josh Bradley'.
As he caught his breath and tried to articulate his thoughts post match, Bradley reflected: "I can't describe that feeling, you know. It was real warmth, real emotional.
"Josh said to me before I left the house today, and he never says it… he obviously says good luck but he said to me, 'you better win the game because I want to go on the pitch and celebrate with the fans'. I said to the lads, 'we better win this game for Josh'.
"To give them that moment at the end, after last week, the build-up, and for him to have that moment in front of the South Stand, it doesn't get much better on the night that you qualify for the league phase for the third time in four years.
"It doesn't get much better than that. Special, special night, both as a father and as a manager."
On a night where Shelbourne also made the league stage after a 2-0 defeat of Linfield at Windsor Park, Bradley stressed that the league needs financial support to keep growing.
His side have proven they can go toe to toe with clubs boasting much grander budgets, but without sustained and strategic backing, League of Ireland football simply cannot fully capitalise on its obvious growth potential.
"There's no getting away from it, we need the government," said Bradley. "But I also understand the government's point of view of why they've been cautious. You have to understand their point of view. It's not about just throwing money around. So I totally understand their point of view.
"But it's our job as a league to keep pushing forward, keep growing it, keep having people talking about it in a positive light. And we're doing that.
"That can only build trust with the people who make the decisions. That's all we can do.
"When we talk to them, it can only build trust. It's about the government trusting that the money's going to be spent for the right reasons in the right areas. We all know, everyone knows that we need the government to really see the full potential of this league, not just this club, this league.
"But I truly believe that we're getting there. I truly believe we're going in the right direction."
Certainly Shamrock Rovers are helping the cause. Their fans will look forward to today's Conference League draw with giddy excitement, keen to see where this latest European adventure will take them.
These are heady times indeed, but Bradley is taking nothing for granted.
"When I came in I felt there was a disconnect here," he added. "Our average attendance was 700 and I felt there was no connection, that the fans and the players, the club, there was no real connection. I wanted to completely change that.
"I've opened up everything we do to the fans. We go to all the galas, all the dos, all the nights. We go and watch Glenmalure play football. And I think it's important. Over the years, you actually get to know them personally and get to understand them.
"So it helps when you're going through a tough moment, like last year domestically. You're able to stay together because you can relate to each other. And that trust is built over years. I watched the brilliant documentary, The Three Kings... (that chronicles the careers of Bill Shankly, Jock Stein and Matt Busby) the connection they had with the fans, with the city.
"I remember thinking, 'that's a special connection'. That's a bond that… we say in the dressing room, a spirit that can't be broken. And I think that's really important.
"We've worked on that for a long time."
