2003 heartache to help inspire Joe Allen against Russia
Memories of watching Wales suffer disappointment against Russia 13 years ago will drive Joe Allen on when the two nations meet in a crucial match at Euro 2016 on Monday.
The Liverpool midfielder was in the crowd in November 2003 as a 1-0 play-off defeat agonisingly denied his country a place at the following year’s European Championship.
Now, however, Allen and co are on the verge of reaching the tournament’s knockout stages and will definitely do so if they beat Russia in Toulouse tomorrow night.
The 26-year-old insists Chris Coleman’s team need no extra motivation to achieve that objective but admits frustrating failures in the past can be used for good.
He said: “[I remember] the heartache. To come so close was disappointing. It was something we all had to endure together in Welsh football.
“But we have come a long way since then and we’re confident we can maybe use those disappointments of the past in modern times.
“It would be huge [to reach the last 16]. A couple of years ago, when we started this qualifying campaign, our one and only goal was to get here.
“Once that was done, we didn’t want to make it a case of just being tourists here to take part. We wanted to make sure we give it absolutely everything to get as far as we can and make our country proud. To get through would be big.
“There’s no greater motivation in football than these types of games.”