Troy Parrott holds a nation's football expectations in his hands as Mayo FC awaits news

A week is a long time in football and as Ireland march towards a Czech date next Thursday, nerves are beginning to rise across the country.

Troy Parrott is finding his groove once again after going four games without a goal, a relative drought for the Sheriff Street wonder considering his prolific nature for both AZ Alkmaar and Ireland.

His route in European football has replicated some of the best strikers in recent history.

The Dutch Eredivisie is an enjoyable place to gain confidence and score goals. Parrott's next move will be crucial for not just his personal ambitions, but also the hopes of the country.

A goal after five minutes and two assists against league whipping boys Heracles, the second an assist more akin to Dennis Bergkamp than anything else, proving that confidence is exuding from the Irish attacker.

It cannot be stressed how damaging an injury to Troy Parrott would be for the national psyche and with talks of David McGoldrick returning to the fray at the ripe age of 38, it proves how reliant this squad is on the Dubliner.

Transfer links abound, with AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund reportedly vying for his signature.

A switch to the Bundesliga would be a natural progression, while the vagaries of Italy's Serie A could prove equally enticing, Irish supporters hoping his performance would be more in the vain of Scott McTominay rather than Evan Ferguson.

Being a striker in Italy is a tough ask; Germany would be more suited to his path.

Indeed, the much maligned FAI are banking on Parrott to help place the organisation back on safer ground.

FAI CEO David Courell made headlines with the release of the body's new strategy around the game, highlighting that Ireland is the third most underperforming UEFA nation when it comes to its assets and ultimate outcomes.

This new plan sets to upend that, with more investment from abroad set to help improve infrastructure on the island.

The fact that ours is a nation of five million, sporting mad and still only has one stadium fit for UEFA competitions is deeply depressing.

It serves as proof that a lot of positivity and success has previously been channelled into the wrong direction.

Tallaght Stadium is effectively the be-all and end-all of Irish stadia fit for UEFA competition, with the Aviva too large and cumbersome to make it a reality for most clubs.

Courell has cannily reached out to other sports to help collaborate when it comes to infrastructure.

We are seeing the GAA in Galway and Derry open their doors to their local League of Ireland sides, but with developments set to break ground at Dalymount Park and The Showgrounds and planning approved for Finn Park in Donegal, it's easy to identify club grounds that need redevelopment - but funding is another question.

Whatever happens in Prague, it would provide a well-needed boost for an organisation left with no choice but to make a sizeable cohort of staff redundant.

Football in Ireland is still very disjointed. The ultimately failed shift to summer calendar football has only exacerbated that problem.

The old wheels of change are hard to move when it comes to longstanding leagues and committees that have held power for so long.

It's a major leap to expect there to be no struggle or fight when attention shifts towards League of Ireland clubs across the country.

Meanwhile, there’s still little word on who will join Mayo FC in the new national league third tier competition.

Meath FC are rumoured to be involved, with a very low-key Instagram account recently created, yet no official word has followed.

Navan is a massive town with some of the best talent in Irish football close by, as League of Ireland underage results regularly show, and there is a major gap between the Dublin clubs and much of the rest of Ireland.

St. Pat's, Bohs, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne don't just have the pick of the talent in the capital city, but they rule the roost as far south as Waterford and west to Longford, with only the two clubs in Louth providing any stiff competition within Leinster.

Irish football could very well be on the crest of a wave come the end of this month.

Funding will be made easier from an optics point of view, despite the Minister for Sport Patrick O'Donovan witnessing parts of the public purse ‘go up in smoke’ at Oriel Park earlier this month.

The FAI has taken its medicine, slimmed down the organisation and bowed to public lashings by the government.

Biding their time has gotten them this far, but now must be the occasion for football to be taken seriously at all levels of Irish life.