Linfield boss David Healy has urged his boys to become history makers in Thursday night's Europa Conference League showdown with Latvian side RFS at Windsor Park.
The Danske Bank Premiership champions are only 90 minutes away from becoming the first Irish League side to qualify for the group stages of any European competition.
It’s all square for what has become a close on £3m game after the teams battled out a 2-2 draw in Riga last week.
Read more: Linfield vs RFS live score updates from Europa Conference League play-off
But it could have been so much better for the Blues because they led two-nil with only TWO minutes left on the clock.
Goals from Stephen Fallon and Joel Cooper had the small pocket of visiting fans dancing with delight until substitute Kevin Friesenbichler pulled one back 88 minutes and, with practically the last kick, Ziga Lipusecek, levelled matters – on 96 minutes.
However, it’s now advantage Linfield. Healy wants his team to be roared on by a big Windsor Park crowd - he knows a little piece of football history is within touching distance.
“Everyone is excited,” said the former Northern Ireland international striker. “We are all looking forward to it, the boys are relishing the challenge.
“We want a big crowd at Windsor Park - we want them right behind us. We all understand it’s a huge opportunity for us.
“We’ve had a long European journey, in the Champions League, the Europa League and now the Europa Conference League. We are now down to one game - a winner-takes-all match.
“If we had been given his chance at the start of our European run in early July against TNS - a home game to guarantee group stage qualification, we would have snapped your arm off for it.
“But, it’s here - it’s fantastic opportunity for us.”
Healy believes the disappointment of conceding two late goals can be used as a motivational factor to get his side over the line this time.
“I had mixed emotions after the game (in Riga),” he added. “Our overall performance and the application and attitude of the players were incredible. It was just the type of game we thought it would be.
“We got ourselves on the front foot and we probably did tire a little bit in the last 15 minutes or so. But their (RFS) first goal came from a corner kick that never was. I had given up on the moment because I assumed it was a goal kick.
“In football, you get strange decisions, but we didn’t deal with the corner and we were punished. We came away with a good result and I was so proud of the players, they gave me everything in testing conditions.
“We know that RFS are a good side, but if we play to our maximum and limit the small errors and small mistakes, we are capable of getting the job done. We have everything to play for.”
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