West Ham United's Conor Coventry has said that the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side has been 'dreaming' of reaching the UEFA Under-21 European Championship next summer.
Victory on Tuesday night against Israel will book their place at the finals and make them the first Irish Under-21 side to make the tournament.
With the promised land so close, Coventry has said that the team are excited heading into their fixture in Israel following the 1-1 draw on Friday night.
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“We’re really excited,” Coventry said when speaking ahead of the game during his pre-match press conference. “That’s the main feeling around the group, it’s just excitement. We had a taste of the game on Friday, so now everyone wants to go and get stuck into the second leg now."
“We knew that they were a good side,” the West Ham youngster added. “I think they started really well and maybe their shape and some of their rotations caused us some problems.
“I thought we grew into the game quite well, and we played well in the second half. It was a really good contest and I imagine it was a good one for the neutral to watch. It was an exciting game and hopefully we can have another good game.”
No Ireland Under-21 side has reached the tournament stage and the 22-year-old said it is a moment he and teammates have been dreaming about for the past 12 months.
He said: “It is something that we have been dreaming about for a year now. As a group, it would mean so much to everyone. It is hard to put into words without sounding too cliché but it would be massive.”
Coventry has made four appearances for the senior side this season, the last being the 3-2 win over Silkeborg in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
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