'International football gives belief you belong in Premier League'

Former Northern Ireland and Leeds United wide man Stuart Dallas is portion of BBC Sport NI's sum of Tuesday's friends pinch Iceland.

Reaching nan Premier League is simply a dream for immoderate player.

I cognize really Trai Hume and Daniel Ballard consciousness aft they won promotion pinch Sunderland, it's an unthinkable emotion and achieving it pinch Leeds was 1 of nan highlights of my career.

It's a large measurement up from nan Championship, not only connected nan transportation but pinch everything that comes pinch it.

There's much spotlight and each crippled you play is simply a large arena that is shown each complete nan world. It's virtually a different shot game.

On nan pitch, you tin spot nan quality betwixt nan apical 2 divisions by really nan promoted teams person struggled to span nan spread aft going up, but Trai and Daniel are much than tin of adapting and they've shown it astatine world level.

That's ever what gave maine nan belief I could execute good successful nan Premier League.

I wasn't playing each nan clip pinch my club, but pinch Northern Ireland I was playing against immoderate of nan champion players successful nan world and I ever felt I held my own.

Taking connected immoderate of nan champion players from Germany aliases nan Netherlands, it only added to nan belief that I belonged astatine that level, and I'm judge Trai and Daniel will consciousness nan same.

You could opportunity nan aforesaid for Conor Bradley astatine Liverpool and Justin Devenny astatine Crystal Palace too, arsenic they were some playing world shot earlier playing week in, week retired for their clubs.

It's awesome for belief, and having much players astatine nan apical level tin only use nan nationalist squad arsenic a whole.

I tin subordinate a batch to Trai's travel to nan Premier League. Like me, he started disconnected successful nan Irish League and had a batch of elder games nether his loop earlier he moved crossed to England.

I had played betwixt 150 and 200 games of elder shot for Coagh United and Crusaders, and I can't speak capable astir really overmuch that prepares you to measurement up to master shot successful England. I still had a batch of processing to do erstwhile I moved to Brentford, but it group maine up truthful well.

You tin beryllium successful an academy successful England from nan property of eight, and successful a pre-academy moreover younger. I look astatine immoderate players who haven't played a elder crippled by nan property of 20 aliases 21 because they are stuck successful younker football, and erstwhile they get their chance they struggle to accommodate because it's difficult to span that gap.

I look backmost astatine my profession now and I wouldn't person done it immoderate different way, and I tin spot that Trai is reaping nan rewards of that too.

While nan consequence successful Denmark was disappointing, location are still positives to return from nan game. Denmark deserved to win, and they are a level supra wherever Northern Ireland presently are.

But it is wherever Michael O'Neill wants his squad to be, and it was different bully learning acquisition for his young squad.

Defensively, peculiarly successful nan first half, they were very bully against a beardown and imaginative onslaught but they will want to amended going forward. They needed to beryllium much brave connected nan ball. They made a awesome commencement pinch nan extremity but didn't really frighten aft scoring, and I'm judge that will person disappointed Michael.

In that regard, I deliberation Iceland successful nan cleanable crippled to travel it up connected Tuesday. As nan location team, nan onus is connected you to return it to nan guidance and play pinch nan power and desire to triumph nan game. The crowd will play a domiciled successful that too, and we cognize really important Windsor Park tin be.

I cognize Michael likes to play pinch a backmost three, but I deliberation he will group nan squad up a small spot different to get his cardinal players connected nan shot to effort and make thing happen.

Iceland sewage a awesome consequence successful Scotland but they aren't of nan aforesaid calibre arsenic Denmark. They are astir apt successful and astir wherever Northern Ireland are and that presents an opportunity to beryllium much of a extremity threat.

It's a caller era for Northern Ireland, and that is highlighted by nan truth that George Saville was nan only subordinate successful nan 26-strong squad complete nan property of 30.

Paddy McNair would person been successful location excessively if he wasn't injured, but it conscionable shows really young this squad are.

The Iceland crippled is nan last chance to hole for World Cup qualifying successful September, and it's difficult because these players are efficaciously learning connected nan job. The only measurement to hole for large games is to support playing beardown teams and study from immoderate mistakes.

There aren't immoderate shortcuts successful world football, and that is why Michael is keen to return connected higher-level friendlies.

The activity group successful nan squad is young, but I'm seeing bully qualities connected nan pitch.

The turnaround for Tuesday will beryllium a large trial for them, but it's a awesome opportunity to extremity nan campy connected a precocious and return immoderate momentum into World Cup qualifying.

Stuart Dallas was speaking to BBC Sport NI's Andy Gray.

Watch Northern Ireland v Iceland connected Tuesday, 10 June astatine 19:30 BST connected BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI; perceive connected BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Ulster and travel unrecorded matter and in-play clips connected BBC Sport website and app.