Ross County forward Liam Boyce is determined to put the pain of derby defeat behind him by helping to secure Northern Ireland’s place in the Euro 2016 finals.
Boyce’s 11th goal of the season was not enough to prevent the Staggies going down 2-1 against Caley Thistle at Victoria Park on Saturday, with first-half goals from Miles Storey and James Vincent proving decisive.
The result ended County’s seven-match unbeaten run ahead of this week’s international break, with Boyce part of the Northern Ireland squad for the European championship qualifying matches against Greece and Finland.
Michael O’Neill’s men are top of Group F and need just two points to guarantee qualification for the European championship finals for the first time in their history.
With top scorer Kyle Lafferty suspended for the Greece match on Thursday, Boyce is eager to get his opportunity to fire his country to next summer’s finals in France.
He said: “Hopefully, we can get the result we need on Thursday and not have to wait for the second game.
“There’s a couple of players doing well. Billy Mckay has scored a couple for Dundee United and Josh Magennis has, too, for Kilmarnock.
“I’ve been scoring as well, so it’s a big decision for the manager to make. I’ve done everything I can to put myself in the best situation to start.
“I’m pleased with 11 goals so far. I’ve equalled what I managed in the whole of last season, so it’s brilliant for me. Hopefully, I can keep going, aim for 20 and take it from there.
“Everyone is talking about Wales being so close but I think it is an even bigger achievement for Northern Ireland.
“It is such a small country and everyone is buzzing. We just want to get ourselves over the line and hopefully we can do that.
“For Northern Ireland to reach the European championship finals would be an unbelievable achievement.”
Saturday’s defeat by Caley Thistle was painful for he is content with his side’s start to the campaign, he reckons the Staggies have blown crucial opportunities to add to their current tally of 15 points.
The 24-year-old added: “We’ve started well compared to last year, which was horrendous. But going into the international break with a defeat is a bit of a blow.
“We’ll be coming back motivated and hopefully we can get the points against Aberdeen.”