Ireland's Under-21s have already equalled their greatest ever points tally in Euro qualification - ahead of next Tuesday’s winner-takes-all clash in Italy.
Their 19 points from nine games so far is on a par with the final tally from the 2021 qualifiers, which saw current boss Jim Crawford take over from Stephen Kenny for the final three matches.
They are both huge improvements on previous campaigns at an age level where Irish sides have always come up short.
