ROVERS duo Damien Duff and Alan Kelly today spoke of their World Cup delight after the Republic of Ireland booked their place at next summer's finals in the far east.
Manager Mick McCarthy steered the Republic to their first major tournament since 1994 after beating Iran over two legs on Thursday.
And now the Ewood pair are relishing the prospect of a trip to Japan and South Korea next June after a series of near misses over the last few years.
"It's absolutely brilliant, a real dream come true," said Duff.
"It's everybody's dream to play in the World Cup finals and now Ireland have got there I can't believe it.
"When I was younger I played in two youth World Cups and they were two of the best experiences of my life.
"So when we qualified on Thursday night I was delighted for Mick McCarthy and the boys because we'd narrowly missed out in three previous play-offs.
"I was gutted I couldn't play against Iran myself because I'd set my heart on playing in those games.
"But now I've just got to make sure I stay injury free and play every week for Blackburn then, hopefully, I should be in with a chance of getting picked for the squad."
Kelly, meanwhile, believes manager Mick McCarthy has cemented his place in Irish folklore forever after leading the Republic to Japan.
"It seems a long time ago since he took over from Jack Charlton and he's suffered a lot of disappointments along the way after missing out in various play offs.
"But he's proved he's very much his own man and I'm absolutely delighted for him that he's managed to achieve this.
"For him to get a country the size of Ireland to the World Cup finals is a phenomenal achievement, especially considering we were in a qualifying group with the likes of Portugal and Holland.
"I know what playing in a World Cup finals is like after being part of the squad back in 1994 and it's going to be a fantastic experience."
Now, Kelly is setting his sights on challenging Brad Friedel for the number one jersey at Ewood after recently requesting to come off the transfer list.
"I went to see the manager off my own back to ask if I could come off the list and I was immediately back involved.
"I just felt it was time to move forward and it felt the right thing to do.
"So all I can do is keep working hard in training and hope I get my chance because things can change quickly in football."
Kelly was expected to be back on the bench against Liverpool today after completing an exhausting trip back from Tehran in the early hours of Friday morning.
"We arrived back in Dublin about 5.30am and I then got another flight back to England just after seven, where I then went straight from the airport to training.
"So it's been a tiring few days but well worth it. I know people were talking about the security risks of going to Iran but it was excellent and we didn't really have any problems at all."
Meanwhile, Souness today warned David Dunn about the dangers of getting carried away by all the media attention he has courted recently.
Dunn has been widely tipped for a full England call-up in light of his recent performances with both Rovers and the Under 21s.
But Souness has told the 21-year-old that situation could change quickly if he suddenly starts to lose his focus.
"In this country, we like to build people up and then knock them down and I've been around a long time and I can see it happening to somebody like David Dunn," said Souness.
"I think there will be an expectancy that maybe sometimes he can't live up to, and he will have to be ready to take the criticism that will come his way."
Souness personally ran the rule over Dunn and his Under 21 team-mates in Tuesday night's play-off clash with Holland at Derby's Pride Park.
But it was some of the Dutch players who caught his eye on the night and he may well keep close tabs on one or two of the leading lights over the next few months.
"I think you have to say that England were very fortunate to beat the Dutch because they had some exceptional young players," said Souness.
"There was real potential in the Dutch team and I was very impressed by a lot of them.
"Many of them will go on to be excellent players and, of course, I would be interested in a number of them, but I won't say who they are."
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