West Brom's Chris Brunt doing his best to get over Euro heartbreak by reaching World Cup in Russia

After cruelly missing out on Euro 2016 with a cruciate knee injury, Brunt has been a man possessed in the World Cup qualifiers.

On Monday night, the long-serving Baggie bent a pin-point free-kick around the Czech Republic wall to double his side’s lead after Albion team-mate Jonny Evans had already put the Green and White Army ahead.

It was emotional moment for Brunt in front of the Belfast crowd, and one that led Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill to say afterwards: “He has the best left foot in the English game. His set piece delivery is exquisite at times.”

But it’s not the first time the 32-year-old has stepped up during this campaign.

Since his return from injury, Northern Ireland have won all five of their qualifiers, scoring 13 goals and conceding none. Brunt himself has been directly involved in four goals, scoring two and assisting two.

“Obviously it was gutting to miss out on the Euros,” he said. “But that’s part and parcel of football, you just get on with it.

“I’m enjoying the games here especially. Since I’ve come back in I’ve been involved in a few good wins as well which is a bonus.

"You come away for X amount of years with Northern Ireland and a lot of times you go back depressed and a lot of us have seen those times,” he added.

“The younger lads who are in the squad, they are lucky because it wasn’t always like this. So yeah, if we can get to the World Cup that would be great. That’s part of the reason (I returned) after my injury.

“The lads made it a bit more appealing to come back and if things hadn’t have been going that well it may not have been the case.

“But for a few of us now it’s probably the last chance saloon for a tournament.

“I didn’t get to experience the last one so it would be great if it happens. It’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t, but we have given ourselves a chance.”

After beating Czech Republic 2-0, Northern Ireland are now guaranteed second spot in Group C, and eight out of nine runners-up are due to head into the play-offs.

O’Neill’s side are unlikely to topple group leaders Germany, who are five points clear with two games remaining, but they have nearly assured a two-legged play-off for a place in Russia.

“You don’t know until it’s confirmed,” warned Brunt. “We can only do our job and other jobs we can’t affect, we had a job to do tonight and we’ve done that.

“When the group came out and you see you have Germany in your group, without being disrespectful to our boys, you are pretty much playing for second spot,” he added.

“We are realistic. Germany are a good team, but it means they come to Belfast next month and we can have a go at them, it’s a bit of a free swing.”

Brunt had to pull rank to take the free-kick because Fulham midfielder Oliver Norwood was sizing it up.

But the Albion man made sure he was the one taking it, and he got a helping hand from Baggies team-mate Evans.

“I think once Corry (Evans) was fouled on the edge of the box I fancied it, but Ollie (Norwood) got the ball before me, so I had to pull rank a little bit,” he said. “But I always fancied it and I was always going that side as well.

“I also told Jonny to go onto the end of the wall, so we had an extra body and as soon as I hit it I knew I hit it well.

“Once it skipped up off the grass it did the trick and I was delighted to see it going in.

“I use to score a lot more goals when I was younger but you take or leave goals, it’s not really my job to score them but there’s no better feeling when the ball hits the back of the net and it gave us that little bit of a cushion going in at half-time.”