Euro 2008/Group F: There was a time when Warren Feeney would have liked nothing better than a place in the stands at Windsor Park, but now the Luton striker, who spent his childhood supporting Northern Ireland from the terraces, is determined to earn a place on the pitch.

Having played the last six minutes of Saturday's 0-0 draw in Denmark, the 25-year-old is desperate for a further taste of action against Latvia tomorrow in Belfast. "I am selfish and want to be in the team," he said. "But all I can do is make sure I am ready if called upon. If I do get the nod, I can promise I will give it my best shot."

There is special pressure on Feeney to win a place in the side, as he is the third generation of his family to win a cap for Northern Ireland - although with 11 caps he is already the most successful, and is the first to feature in a competitive match. His grandfather Jimmy won two caps, against Scotland in 1947 and England three years later, while his father, Warren Snr, featured against Israel in 1976.

"I used to go and support the team in home games when I was a kid. Being a striker, I used to enjoy watching big Jimmy Quinn and how he played. I would definitely still be out there cheering the boys on if I was not involved with the team. Mind you when I was standing in the crowd, there was plenty of room. Now tickets are like gold dust because of our improvement. Windsor is a special place. It has an intimidating atmosphere and lots of teams don't like it."

There is evidence to support that claim, with Spain having been beaten in their last home qualifier and England famously defeated last year. The point in Denmark has further boosted team morale, although their defeat by Iceland in their first game in Group F remains a strong and painful memory.

"Perhaps that result was a blessing in disguise because we know we cannot give a repeat performance," he said. "We have the confidence to get a victory but we cannot afford to be the least bit complacent."

Feeney is yet to score a league goal for Luton this season, but his importance to Lawrie Sanchez's side increased yesterday when the Hull striker Stuart Elliott returned to his club after being ruled out of tomorrow's match with a stomach problem. Ivan Sproule of Hibernian has been called up as his replacement.