It'll be seventh heaven for Erin's own James McClean as Derry man closes in on 100 caps

She describes her husband as the 'proudest Irish man ever' and knows the personal sacrifices he's made and his devotion to the green jersey which hangs proudly on their living room wall alongside his first captain's armband worn against Ukraine in the UEFA Nations Cup last summer.

Euro 2016 in France will forever be known as Erin's 'honeymoon on my own' as James left for Ireland camp just two days after the couple tied the knot at St Columba's Church in Derry!

It's always been 'country before club' for James who has played under four international managers and represented Ireland with pride for the past 11 years since he was handed his debut by Giovanni Trapattoni against Czech Republic in March 2012.

He went on to play at two major championships at the Euros in 2012 in Poland and in France 2016 and a career highlight was that sensational winning goal against Wales in the World Cup qualifiers at the Cardiff City Stadium to take Martin O'Neill's men to the play-offs in 2017.

Erin, so aptly named for the wife of a man with so much passion for the Emerald Isle, has been by his side through all the ups and downs since making his £350,000 transfer from Derry City to Sunderland.

Should he become Ireland's seventh centurion after a double header of Euro qualifiers against Greece and Gibraltar, she claims it 'will absolutely be the best day of his life'.

"A lot of people don't understand what goes on behind the scenes," began Erin who will be at the Aviva Stadium on Monday night hoping it's the moment they've been dreaming about ever since he reached the 50 mark.

"We have been dreaming about it since he reached 50, asking 'could you?' 'Is it a possibility?' Then he reached 80 and then 90 and now we're so, so close. It's so hard to put into words.

"If that time comes when we watch him walk out for that 100th cap, I'll probably be an absolute mess watching him because this is something he can take away from his career with pure pride.

"Seeing what goes on in the background, it is immeasurable how proud I am of him. I see every day the consistency, the hard work so it will be so special and I think he really, really deserves it.

"Anyone who gets to that milestone has sacrificed a lot through their career and life to get there. James has and it's paid off. For an Irishman to reach 100 caps with Ireland, it will absolutely be the best day of his life."

Only six people on the planet know what it feels like to reach the three figure mark for Ireland and he'll join Robbie Keane (146), Shay Given (134), John O'Shea (118), Kevin Kilbane (110), Steve Staunton (102) and Damien Duff (100) as the country's only centurions.

'The pinnacle' of his career, adds Erin who admits James' devotion and loyalty to his country 'does my head in at times'.

"Everybody knows how much playing for Ireland means to him. I can't even put it into words.

"It was always Ireland first. It was always about getting the green jersey on. He's the proudest Irish man ever! It does my head in. “He's so proud of where he comes from. So proud of Derry, so proud of being from Ireland. He just loves being Irish, that I think for him to be the seventh person to reach 100 caps blows my mind, it's insane. It just goes to show you how hard he's worked during the past 12 years of his career to get here.

"It's the pinnacle for him. When he went on to get his first cap, you just never pictured him getting to 100. It would've seemed near impossible."

That journey has been 'an emotional rollercoaster' for James' nearest and dearest who have been taken along for the ride and Erin has fond memories of going on tour with the Boys in Green.

It was in those cherished moments she quickly came to recognise how much donning the green shirt meant to her husband.

"In 2012, the Euros I didn't have a clue about football then. I just thought, 'ah he's going over to play a few games in Poland. So I went along and didn't in any way take it seriously. He was just going to do what he does every week, so no big deal. I just didn't understand just how big a deal the Euros were.

"The team stayed in one hotel and the families stayed in the hotel next door. It was me, Studs (Eugene Ferry), his partner Dawn, Rory Kelly, his girlfriend at the time was my cousin Eimear and my sister Kerri-lee.

"We were all out with him and we went down the beach one night playing a game of rugby on the beach. We were all running at each other and tackling people to the ground.

"John O'Shea saw him on the beach and got onto his agent and told him to 'get that madman off the beach'. It was during a major championship and it was probably just a bit of naivety.

"We look back at it and laugh because he would never in a million years do something like that now."

There was a stark transformation in the man after that tournament.

"The change in him even four years later at the next Euros, I barely saw him. He left two nights after we got married and I didn't see him until we went out to France and I saw him for half an hour the first time and half an hour a second time. He was, 'naw I can't see you today'. He just needed to focus.

"The 2016 Euros, I always call 'my honeymoon on my own'. It was special. It was an amazing experience and I understood more about what it meant and how special an occasion it was.

"My favourite thing in the world is going to watch him play for Ireland. I love it. Don't get me wrong I don't like the camps because I'm on my own over here with the kids. And it does my absolute head in how much of a devotion it is. He's devoted to playing and keeping himself fit but he wouldn't be where he is if he wasn't like that.

"It is hard but whenever you go to the Aviva or travel to wherever and watch him come on, it's so special knowing that in the whole country of Ireland, in a team of 11 he's out there. That's special in itself.

"To get one cap for your country is an incredible achievement for anybody but for him to hopefully do it 100 times is mad."

The longevity of his international career is astonishing and his desire to represent his country at every opportunity is something which should be ‘bottled up’ according to one of James’ closest friends, Rory Kelly who has been with him every step of the way.

“I remember sitting in the Aviva Stadium waiting to see the No. 26 go up on the board when he made his debut against Czech Republic in 2012.

"At that time he was the great hope of Irish football. And since then, his own development as a player, as a dad, as a person, he has still maintained this desire to represent Ireland at every opportunity.

"His first international goal against Portugal in New Jersey. They got hammered but I remember him saying afterwards; "I scored and Ronaldo didn't," beaming with pride.

"For me, the fact that he makes himself available for selection all the time, despite being involved in 50 plus game seasons year after year shows how much it means to him. He always does his utmost to be fit and ready and the fact that he and Seamie Coleman are the only ones of the old guard left in this new, vibrant squad, speaks volumes.

"His role has changed, and he's one of the leaders in the dressing room now. But not only that, he has brought us - his family and friends- along the way with every step.

"I'll be forever grateful for experiences like Poland for his first Euros, or Lille when we beat Italy and the countless games at the Aviva.

“It's mad now that 100 caps, four clubs, numerous managers and four kids later, it's the same James - still hungry for more.

"If you could bottle that and give it to all young players, you’d have success or at very least a team you could be proud of."

The McClean family have endured horrendous abuse on social media and from the stands, a hatred borne from James' forthright political views. It's a hatred which has driven him to success.

"The abuse over the years, in a way, it's absolutely driven James to work harder. He's built to prove people wrong.

"It has been hard, especially more so when the kids are involved but James is the one at the end of the day who will hopefully be sitting with 100 caps."

It's a romantic notion that James could be handed his 100th cap by the man who gave him his senior debut at Derry City and played a major role in shaping his career.

"Stephen was the one who helped him get across the water as well from Derry," recalled Erin.

"So for him to hand him his 100th cap is special. It would be class. I think it would be nice for Stephen to see that as well because it doesn't seem that long ago when we all got the phone call to say Sunderland were knocking. So it's mad what he's gone on to do for Ireland during that time.

"I hope to God Friday against Greece is 99. It's the uncertainty too. If it doesn't happen it's pushed back to September then so you don't want to get too ahead of yourself either,

"As he gets older and every international window goes by, it's just mad. He just wants it that bad. He doesn't want to do anything that would jeopardise it."

Having signed a new contract with Wigan Athletic and given his passion for donning the green jersey and his incredible fitness at 34 years-old, it will more likely be a case of 100 not out for James when he does finally reach that century of caps.

"I was told, 100 and maybe that will be it but now we've reached this stage we've come to the conclusion that James will never retire from Ireland, Ireland will have to retire him," smiled Erin.