Clingan dreaming of the World Cup.

Byline: KEN GAUNT

COVENTRY midfielder Sammy Clingan admits that playing in the World Cup in South Africa would be "unreal".

Clingan, 25, hopes to take another step towards that exciting possibility tomorrow at Windsor Park.

Victory for Northern Ireland in the qualifier against Slovakia would see them overtake the Group Three leaders with only one match with the Czech Republic remaining.

Clingan said: "This is probably the biggest game I have been involved in, given what is at stake.

"To get to the World Cup would be unreal. It is what dreams are made of. But we all know it is going to be a hard shift against Slovakia."

Northern Ireland are now unbeaten in five competitive matches and secured a point against Poland in Chorzow at the weekend.

Nigel Worthington's side have made up ground after a poor start, which saw them lose 2-1 to Slovakia in the opening game.

Clingan said: "It would be great to beat them and get our own back. There is good camaraderie in the camp and the confidence is growing.

"There is a lot of belief in the squad and to take four points off Poland is something we would have accepted at the beginning of the campaign.

"Teams can also be a bit intimated when they come to Windsor Park. The fans get right behind us and the players really appreciate that."