Republic of Ireland Under-21 defender Eiran Cashin has said that the opportunity to make history against Israel in their European Championship play-off double-header brings feelings of excitement rather than pressure.The Derby County player will be hoping to be part of the first Irish men's side at this age group to qualify for a major tournament, with the first leg set to take place at Tallaght Stadium on Friday before a trip to Tel Aviv next Tuesday.Jim Crawford's side had a shot at automatic qualification in their final group game back in June, but a 4-1 loss to Italy in Ascoli meant that the play-off route provided a shot at redemption, and Cashin can’t wait for the game to come around."There’s no reason for us not to be confident," he said."I know it’s a lot of pressure, two big games, but there's a chance of making history, that’s the way we see it."It’s more excitement than anything that we can actually go and qualify and make history.
I don’t think there is any reason to feel any doubt."We’re just going to give it us our best shot and hopefully we’ll qualify."Cashin can justifiably feel that he deserves a bit of luck in these play-offs.Qualifying through his Mayo grandmother, now residing in Leitrim, his Ireland U21 debut was delayed by paperwork issues.His opportunities with Derby were also limited last year owing to a ruling about the number of players of 'professional standing' in their squad.Throw into the mix the fact that the club was forced into administration for a period and dropped into League One and it has been a testing spell for the youngster, but he is hoping that such harsh lessons prepare him for future difficult battles on the pitch."It was a tough time.