For a man who only rated fourth in the pecking order 18 months ago, Dean Kiely is entitled to be delighted with his progress into the Republic of Ireland team.
True, it's required a big slice of luck to supplement natural ability in getting him there. But the sense of achievement was still unmistakable after the manner in which his career was fast-forwarded over the last 48 hours.
First, he was summoned from the bench to replace the injured Alan Kelly in goal for the last half hour of the 1-1 draw on Saturday. And then, with the Blackburn player ruled out of the return game, there was the thrill of having his first Ireland start confirmed by Mick McCarthy when he arrived here on Sunday.
"I'm sorry about the circumstances in which I'm getting my chance but in football, one man's misfortune, is another's opportunity," he said. "Alan Kelly has reason to know all about that and before we set off to come here, he was the first to wish me good luck.
"I may be only doing an emergency job in covering for others. But for me, this is the kind of chance that has driven me in training and in games all my career.
"To play the game at the highest level, is the ambition of every professional. And while I didn't really get involved with Ireland until the end of last season, the opportunity to be part of a match of this importance, is all the more exciting because of that."
Kiely, whose father, Larry comes from the hurling heartland of Pilltown, Co Kilkenny, reckons he's played well over 400 games since starting out on a career, largely fashioned in the lower levels of club football.
Not for him, the chance of starting right at the top. Instead, he's fought his way through the divisions before finally arriving in the relative affluence of Charlton Athletic. And that was some months after his name had hit the national headlines for the first time, in being summoned as cover, for the Paul McGrath testimonial game.
"That may have been only a friendly match but for me, it was an important promotion. For the first time, I was living and training with an international squad - and the feeling was great.
"I consider myself to be a realist but in spite of the competition, I never gave up hope that I would get the chance of doing my stuff for Ireland, And now that it's happened, it's truly a great feeling."
It was an injury to Keith Branagan, the Bolton goalkeeper, which brought him into contention for a place in the squad for the McGrath testimonial. And before last Saturday, he owed his chance in the current squad, to the enforced absence of Shay Given.
But if it's all been a bit unlikely for the 29-year-old goalkeeper in the last few days, he's still primed for a big performance tomorrow evening. "I've waited long enough, worked hard enough for this chance to be anything other than totally focused going into the game," he said.
"I suppose I could have chosen an easier place than Turkey to start my first international but having once played in front of a 55,000 crowd in an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford, I'm not without some experience of the big occasion.
"Of course, it will be noisy, but noisy fans never win games on their own. Down on the pitch it will be 11 against 11, And pound for pound, we're just as good as the Turks."
