Alan Mannusis looking to become Northern Ireland’s first-choice goalkeeper in time for the start of the next European Championship qualifiers.
The St Johnstone shot-stopper earned his sixth cap for his country when he replaced regular number one Roy Carroll for the second half of the friendly against Turkey earlier this month.
With the team 1-0 down when he arrived between the posts, Mannus managed to keep a clean sheet in Adana.
Now he is hoping to permanently replace Carroll, who will be 37 by the time the France 2016 qualifying campaign starts next September.
While Mannus is a fixture in the Saints team, Carroll is only third choice for his Greek club Olympiakos and is not getting matches other than those for his country.
Northern Irish boss Michael O’Neill has nevertheless been sticking with the former Manchester United veteran for competitive games but, having been given words of encouragement by his manager and match time against the Turks 12 days ago, the momentum might be about to swing the Saint’s way.
“It was good to have been given the chance,” said Mannus, whose last appearance for his country was in a goalless draw in Malta in February.
“The manager actually told me during the last trip we were on to Azerbaijan and Israel that I would get a game the next time.
“He spoke to me before we played Israel and said that he would have used me in that game had the result been different against Azerbaijan.
“We were trying not to finish fifth in the (World Cup qualifying) group so he wanted to keep changes to a minimum. He might have been trying to keep me happy or you can say that it’s good management.
“He didn’t need to do that and it was better than saying nothing.
“I wasn’t going to get carried away just in case but I ended up getting my chance so I was happy. The gaffer knows me well because he was my manager at Shamrock Rovers for a couple of years.
“He said he wouldn’t have had a problem putting me in so I thought, ‘Well, why not do that anyway?’
“But it was still good to get 45 minutes against Turkey and we will see what happens now. I would have liked a full game and we will see how it goes when there are more friendlies in the spring.”
Mannus (31) is delighted to just be involved at international level and has shown loyalty and dedication to the cause by making the long journeys like those to Baku and Tel Aviv in October.
However, you sense that he feels the time could be right for him to become O’Neill’s preferred option.
“Roy is 36 and not playing for his club at the moment he is third-choice I think and the gaffer did say he wants people to play regularly for their teams,” said Mannus.
“He did do very well for us in the last campaign so you can’t really argue against it. When the manager spoke to me he said: ‘Keep doing what you are doing.’
“He added that Roy isn’t playing for his club just now, has had trouble with his back and that he (O’Neill) can’t go on forever without changing it.
“We will see but I’m not arguing about it because I never thought I would even be in the position of playing for Northern Ireland.
“It is hard to travel away like we did to Azerbaijan and Israel and not play but I have had no option. I have been involved with the team for a long time now.
“When I was a kid, there were lads my age going to England and Scotland to be footballers while I stayed at school so to be involved at that level now is great for me.
“I have to earn every cap and I was happy with my performance in Turkey. You never know what can happen in the future. It could go well or badly for me and I am prepared for both outcomes.
“I want to make the most of my international involvement and all I can do is continue to do my best.”