Iwan Roberts' column

Iwan Roberts Former Wales international and BBC pundit

Not for a very long time, have I been so excited about Welsh international football.

Flynn's squad for Wednesday's crucial qualifier with Romania is a real millionaires playground

The children of Brian Flynn's under-21 revolution have breathed new life into Welsh football when it was in desperate need of a kiss of life.

And should Flynnie's fledglings beat Romania's under-21s in Wrexham on Wednesday night, they'll deservedly qualify for the UEFA European Championship play-offs.

Only Wales' World Cup squad of 1958 have qualified for a major tournament in Welsh football history.

So if the this young team can achieve something no other Welsh side has in the past 50 years then, it would break an enormous psychological barrier that could have far-ranging positive effects on our national side for years to come.

Wales have far too often been the bridesmaid, we've never been the bride.

World Cup 1986 was so close, yet so far as we failed to beat Scotland.

Paul Bodin's infamous penalty miss against Romania counted us out in the race for the States in '94.

And I still can't believe how we lost to Russia in the Euro 2004 play-offs under Mark Hughes.

The future looked bleak back then as the old-guard retired and the under-21s were a shambles, only ending their 26-game winless run with an uninspiring 1-0 victory against Azerbaijan.

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But now we're on the verge of a little bit of history and much-needed mental stimulation.

Sport is as much psychological science as it is physical ability - and breaking the mental barrier of qualifying for major championships could be crucial if future Wales senior teams want success.

Experience of knowing how to cross the line is vital to sustained achievement, just look at Manchester United and their dominance of the Premier League.

Success is a habit and knowing you've achieved your goal before gives you a vital psychological edge, so if Wales' new breed can qualify once then hopefully the national team will ultimately benefit.

With such promise in our youth set-up, a golden generation could be on the horizon to possibly achieve what the likes of Southall, Ratcliffe, Hughes and Rush did not.

Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Chris Gunter, Jack Collison, Ched Evans, Joe Ledley will be the cornerstone of the Wales team for the next 15 years.

Youth guru Brian Flynn has been Wales coach John Toshack's finest appointment

Flynn's squad for Wednesday's crucial qualifier with Romania is a real millionaires playground and is almost certainly the richest Wales under-21 team ever assembled.

Their combined current market value probably tops £30m and if the youngsters played their senior colleagues, I could not be sure who'd win.

It is clearly a hypothetical situation but to even have a debate on whether the under-21s would beat the A-team is something we could not have thought about in Welsh football five years ago.

Brian Flynn must take a great deal of credit for Welsh football's rebirth as he has kick-started a seemingly productive conveyer belt that has thrown Wales' national team a lifeline.

Our youth guru has been Wales coach John Toshack's finest appointment because he has helped promising kids realise their potential and develop them into international class footballers.

His experience, man-management style and the respect he demands has put the pride back into playing for Wales at youth level.

Flynn has not just unearthed a crop of footballing gems, he has installed a confidence and a structure to become an international Welsh footballer.

In doing so, every Welsh football fan now has hope and optimism for a bright future.

And that future starts at the Racecourse on Wednesday.

Iwan Roberts was talking to Peter Shuttleworth.