It was the moment Charlie Smyth had been dreaming of since he was a teenager.
Despite growing up playing gaelic football in County Down, his passion had always been the NFL.
Such was his drive to play American football, he had sent an email to the NFL asking how to get involved as far back as 2019.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut through the International Player Pathway, he was soon swapping a promising sporting career as a goalkeeper in gaelic football for a shot at the NFL in 2024.
He had impressed the New Orleans Saints and was retained in their practice squad- for this season.
But then, when regular kicker Blake Grupe was waived by the Saints, the 24-year-old and veteran kicker Cade York were suddenly vying for the starting spot against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
After intense competition, Smyth got the news he had been waiting for from Phil Galiano, the Saints' special teams coordinator.
"I was at peace with whatever was going to happen, whether I was playing or not, because of how the week of practice went," Smyth told BBC Sport NI's Thomas Niblock.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Whenever he told me I was playing I got a little emotional. It gave me a flashback to when I was a 16-year-old or a 17-year-old thinking 'what if I ever got an opportunity to do this?'.
"It was a case of 'here we go'. This is what I've been waiting for."
Smyth kicks field goal on NFL debut for Saints
'I was absolutely buzzing' - Smyth on NFL debut
After kicking off the game, he had to wait until the fourth quarter to return to the pitch for his opportunity with a 56-yard field goal attempt.
He nailed it to perfection.
"That's where my eyes light up a little bit. That's where it's a bit deeper and I get to show off my strong leg.
"I just embraced it, it wasn't an ounce of 'what if I miss here?'. It was a moment where we could get our team back to a one-score game and push on."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter perfecting his first kick in the NFL, which would have been good from 65 yards, never mind 56, things got even better as Smyth completed an onside kick - a short restart tactic used to try and regain possession when losing on the scoreboard.
The kick-off technique is rarely successful. In fact, it only has a 7% recovery success rate in the NFL this season.
"I don't know what it was but I just felt confident about it," Smyth said.
"I watch a lot of NFL and I hadn't really seen one like that. But the kicker for the Dolphins, Riley Paterson, had done it before, so that's where we got it from.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"The boys did a great job recovering it and it was cool to help the team."
The Saints would ultimately lose 21-17 but Smyth had made his mark.
'Trying to do something a little bigger'
Smyth's family, along with kicking coach Tadhg Leader, had overcome a snow delay in Chicago to complete the mad dash to Miami for the game.
On the other side of the Atlantic ocean, videos started going viral of crowds in bars celebrating his kick like it was a last-minute winner in a World Cup final.
The village community in Mayobridge - nestled in between the city of Newry and the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland - isn't large, but it is close.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt couldn't be further from Miami in every sense, and that's what makes Smyth's achievement so remarkable.
His sporting journey started as a six-year-old on muddy pitches where he was diving to block a gaelic football, and now he was playing, and starring, in one of the biggest sporting stages in the world.
Back in the bars, pints of beer started to flow after his 56-yard effort, and another free round followed when he nailed his onside kick.
"I seen all the videos after and it was class," Smyth laughed.
"It was one of those moments where you wish you could clone yourself so you could be there too."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAbout that kid who was diving trying to block the ball, and would go on to win one of the biggest prizes in underage gaelic football, the Under-20 Ulster Championship, with Down.
What would he think of playing on one of the biggest stages in sport?
"They are great memories and you still miss it a little bit," Smyth said.
"But then you get out here and you realise you are trying to do something that little bit bigger."
Former gaelic footballer Charlie Smyth impressed through the International Player Pathway [Getty Images]Smyth said the support, whether that be those close to home or some famous faces such as golf legend Padraig Harrington or GAA star Paudie Clifford, was "unbelievable".
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut in the midst of the noise surrounding his NFL debut, Smyth said he made a call to "shut off the outside world" whenever he got on the flight to Miami.
"I want to give everyone at home as many days like Sunday as possible, and the only way I can do that is by being selfish almost, and shutting off.
"The messages were unbelievable, but I want to perform to my best and you can kind of get distracted by that."
After the highs of making his NFL debut, Smyth says he has had to remind himself about a self-imposed "24 hour rule".
As successful as his debut was, Smyth wants to be there for the long haul and his attentions are now on the Saints' game with Tampa Bay on Sunday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Whatever emotions come up from the previous game, you either get to enjoy them or feel sorry for yourself for a day.
"But after that, you have to move on.
"That's easier said than done but you really have to get yourself in the mindset of that because this is an unforgiving business."
An unforgiving business is an understatement.
Smyth only got his chance when the experienced Grupe was waived after costly missed field goals.
And if he wanted to look closer to home he needs to only see what happened to Jude McAtameny, another former gaelic football player, who started well for the New York Giants before he was unceremoniously cut after a number of missed kicks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Everyone thinks you are great because you've made one kick, but if you go and miss an extra point of a field goal in the fourth quarter then the fans might not like you as much," Smyth said.
"I'm in the mind space that I'm feeling so confident with how my kicking has gone lately, that I want to keep that going. When it's time to kick the only thing i'm thinking about is making it."
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