Liam Kerrigan is hoping to secure qualification on two fronts next week.
The Ireland Under-21 goal hero will head to Italy on Tuesday, hoping to secure either a Euro 2023 play-off place or an automatic spot at next year’s finals.
And three days later he will find out if he has landed his qualifications in Commerce from UCD, when he picks up the results of his final exams.
Kerrigan, who spent the past few years juggling his football career with a degree at the Belfield campus, scored in Monday’s 3-1 win over Montenegro.
He said: “I think we get our results on the 17th, so it’s a big week next week.”
Automatic qualification could still be on the cards depending on the outcome of Thursday’s clash between Sweden and Italy.
“It would be massive (to qualify),” said the Sligo native. “This was my second cap and it would be some achievement if we could.
“I think it would be the first 21s that would qualify. It would be some achievement.”
Kerrigan made his Ireland debut last year against Luxembourg, having never featured before for his country at any level.
He missed out on a call-up for the March win in Sweden, but through his performances this season with UCD he won a recall for this month’s fixtures.
And he showed on Monday why he deserved not just his place in the squad, but his starting spot against Montenegro.
“It was great to get my chance and hopefully they see that I can take it,” he said.
“It’s been a busy few weeks. I finished the exams there during the middle of May and I’ve been with UCD since, training away and putting myself in the window to come in here.
“It is paying off now.
“I knew the last camp was a small squad because there was just one game (away to Sweden).
“So I just had to keep doing what I was doing playing with UCD even though we are bottom of the table.
“I just had to keep playing the way I usually play and put myself back in the frame again.”
Kerrigan returned to his home town of Tubbercurry after the Montenegro win, with manager Jim Crawford giving the players three days off before returning on Friday to prepare for the Italy game.
“It’s crazy,” he said of the prospect of reaching next summer’s finals. “If you told me even at the start of last year, I wouldn’t have thought we would have had this much of a chance to qualify.
“I suppose we just have to see it through now next week.”
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