Aaron Hughes has the feeling that he’s seen this movie before.

This time he is just hoping that there is a different ending — one of glory rather than despair.

Two years ago a six-point haul from a double-header took Northern Ireland to the top of their Euro 2008 qualifying group.

When last summer’s finals were being played in Austria and Switzerland Hughes and his team-mates were left to watch the action on television, as the team they had beaten at Windsor Park at the start of the campaign lifted the trophy.

It was a defeat to Spain in the final game of that qualifying series that brought that particular dream to an end. In truth though the damage was done before that.

Had Northern Ireland left Latvia and Iceland with victories rather than defeats, then we’d all have been enjoying ourselves in the shadows of the Alps back in June last year, but instead the only mountains on view were the Mournes.

It’s Table Mountain that we want to be visiting next summer. Being on top of the Group Three table going into a five-month sabbatical has got everyone excited and why not? We’ve been left to fulfil fixtures at this stage in enough campaigns down the years to allow ourselves to dream a little this time.

Hughes knows how dreams can be shattered though and there is still a lot of work to be done if this squad is to emulate the 1958, 1982 and 1986 teams.

And the hard part will have to be done away from home, where Northern Ireland have beaten only minnows in the last decade or so.

“There were more games to be played this time two years ago,” said Hughes..

“We have three games left now, one at home and if we can get that one at home then who knows what we can do away from home?

“If we can turn our away form around and pick up something near the end of the campaign then you never know.

“We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but we know there are still good teams in there doing the same.

“We’ve got to be hopeful that results go our way over the summer and see what we can do between September and the end of the campaign.”

Slovakia and Slovenia face San Marino in June and August respectively, so by the time Nigel Worthington’s men head to Poland in September the Slovaks will be a point clear with a game in hand, while Slovenia will still be two points adrift of our boys with the same number of games played — although they do have the advantage of knowing that three points are all but guaranteed in the last game of the campaign away to San Marino.

There are no more guarantees for Northern Ireland, other than the toughest climax to the group of any of the contenders.

The job in hand has been taken care of though. Wins against Poland and Slovenia were a must to keep things ticking over until the autumn.

The performance against Poland was pleasing as well. The Slovenia game was much, much different, but come October when the final placings are sorted out, it’s points that count, not how you got them and nobody will care that we ground out the victory on Wednesday night.

“Two game, six points, we cant’ ask for much more than that really,” said Hughes.

“It was mix of relief and excitement when the goal went in against Slovenia.

“We spoke at half-time to make sure it wouldn’t fizzle out to a 0-0 draw and end up losing two points.

“We wanted to keep giving the crowd something to get behind us as well. We know they’d stay behind us and the goal lifted everything.”