Jason Knight insists he won’t get hung up on the rear view mirror as he only has forward focus with Ireland.
The Derby County midfielder was the game-changer in Luxembourg on Sunday night, coming off the bench and playing a starring role in all three goals.
And his performance left manager Stephen Kenny purring about the 20-year-old who has quickly - when fit - become an integral part of the side in just nine appearances.
The post-match, on-pitch party mood at Stade de Luxembourg might suggest otherwise but Ireland were not celebrating their third placed finish.
There was more to it than that with players, management and supporters acknowledging a penny-dropping moment that this team is on a new path.
Fans chanted the manager’s name on repeat.
And dozens of them then interrupted the Luxembourg manager’s press conference by roaring through the windows that there’s “only one Stephen Kenny”.
Still, just two solitary competitive wins over Azerbaijan and Luxembourg remains the sobering yardstick of this campaign.
So let’s not get too excited just yet. Steady progress, for sure, but Kenny’s team needs to kick on next year.
Finishing 11 and eight points adrift of Serbia and Portugal respectively outlines the bridge Ireland must cross to qualify for tournaments.
Nevertheless, Knight cannot wait to attack 2022.
Ireland will play two home friendlies in March against as yet unknown opponents although Kenny said he was ‘excited’ by the names being thrown around.
And then there are four Nations League games - the draw is on December 16 - in the first two weeks of June before the concluding two matches in late September.
Asked if there were regrets at how Ireland started the campaign, Knight said: “You might say that but I don’t think we can look back on that.
“We just want to look forward. We’ve had a really good last four or five months and we just want to keep progressing into the March camp now. We want to keep improving.”
With Kenny’s praise ringing in his ears, Knight - who was a Derby captain last season under Wayne Rooney - wants to become a mainstay for the national team.
The former Cabinteely player came through Kenny’s Under-21 team and feels ready to leave his mark on the senior side as Ireland eye Euro 2024 down the road.
Knight said: “It’s about making an impact when you come on or when you are called up to start.
“The manager has created a really competitive squad and made sure that we are all ready when we do have to come on.
“It has been difficult, but the lads have been really, really good, especially in the last couple of camps. That’s what you want as a competitive nation.
“You want to be really, really competitive within the squad and I think we have that at the moment.
“Sunday was a great night for myself, obviously, but I want to add more goals and more assists to my game.
“I got a couple of assists on Sunday, so I just want to keep improving and really progress in my game.
“The manager has been really, really good with us young players, bringing us in and is not afraid to play us in these big games.
“It’s been a step up, but it’s something I’m relishing and I have tried to grasp.”
Ireland are an improving side that is also winning the hearts and minds of the majority of fans.
Certainly nobody in the Stade de Luxembourg on Sunday was in any doubt about that.
But while the performances are improving, Knight knows consistency of results matters too as Ireland prepare for the Nations League.
Ireland’s Covid-hit Nations League campaign under Kenny last year was a disaster but the manager has already targeted topping the group next year.
And he made that bold prediction last month and the draw in Switzerland doesn’t take place until next month.
But with a Euro 2024 playoff up for grabs before that campaign begins in March 2023, Knight has stressed that need for consistency.
“It’s about keeping it going and trying to get the best out of the squad that we can. There’s loads more in the locker, not just from me but from everybody.”
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