Crawford calls for Turner's Cross roar as Ireland U21s chase crucial win

Jim Crawford on the Ireland U21s playing at Turner's Cross: 'We need huge support here, we really do, to get behind the players, to be that 12th player.' Pic: ©INPHO/Aleksandar Djorovic

Jim Crawford has called on supporters to be the Ireland under-21s' 12th man at Turner's Cross tonight as they bid to keep their European Championship qualification hopes alive against Kazakhstan (7pm).

Crawford is hoping the Cork ground will be packed as his side face another pivotal Group D encounter, with another victory essential if they are to maintain their hopes of reaching the play-offs with one round remaining.

"We've always been well supported when we've come down here," said the Ireland supremo.

"I've said it many times that when you're travelling to the stadium you realise you're at an event, you see the place littered with tricolours and what have you.

"That's great for the players and that's what we need - we need huge support here, we really do, to get behind the players, to be that 12th player."

It has already been a memorable year for Cork City in terms of securing promotion, and Crawford hopes the under-21s can add to the celebrations.

"It's been a great year for Cork, getting promoted - hopefully, we can add to that carnival, that we can qualify ourselves for the finals," he said.

Ireland breathed life back into their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Slovakia last Friday. At the end of March, Oisín Gallagher's dramatic 89th-minute winner against tonight's opponent had a similar effect in Turkestan.

Six months on, Crawford's side must repeat the trick on home soil. "It was a great win, a great performance and puts us back in it, we've kept the group alive now," Crawford said of the Slovakia victory in Kosice.

"It was a good evening but that's past us now.

"All our focus, our attention has been on this game, which I'm sure will be another difficult challenge. It's not going to be easy."

Crawford will look to Waterford's in-form striker Tommy Lonergan to again lead the charge after his early opener against the Slovaks, his debut goal at this level.

"Tommy was thrilled, he had an excellent game and has been playing exceptionally well," said the manager. "He's brought that form into training, into the game against Slovakia, lots of really good hold up play, linking it up and ultimately scoring the goal, which is fantastic.

"He is a real threat in the air, any decent deliveries into the box you can be sure he'll get across defenders, or the other day when he got between the two defenders and guided his header into the goal."

Kazakhstan showed the threat they can pose in attack by scoring twice in a 4-2 defeat to runaway group leaders England last weekend. Crawford has warned his players that the visitors' pace and direct approach could cause problems, particularly on the counter-attack.

But Ireland have already had to show plenty of resilience during a campaign in which they have twice fallen behind against both Slovakia and Croatia.

Tonight's game is Ireland's penultimate group fixture, with a final showdown with England to follow next week. Crawford knows there is no room for error.

"If we can get the three points we might be in a play-off spot in November, where we'll come back down to Turner's Cross in one of the legs - and hopefully qualify for the finals," he said.