The Slovakia capital plays host to Northern Ireland’s opening World Cup qualifying clash this evening and Worthington hopes his side can keep cool heads in the scorching 35 degrees heat.

Sports Scientist Jonathan Bloomfield has been working overtime to ensure the squad have been eating and drinking well and staying out of the sun as much as possible as the serious works begins here.

But jokers in the squad have played a helping hand in keeping the atmosphere cool among the press as much as their team-mates by bombarding anyone in sight with water ballons.

“I liked the players throwing water bombs on the journalists. I told them to throw them harder,” joked Worthington. “It’s good fun, it’s team spirit and we like that.”

Worthington enjoyed a World Cup finals appearance as a player in Mexico 22 years ago and he is sure his players can enjoy similar experiences in South Africa in 2010.

“If and when we get to a World Cup finals there’ll be no talk about my experiences in Mexico 86, I’ll save my breath and save it for the match,” said a defiant Worthington.

“We are being realistic about our chances. If you go out with the thought that you’ve no chance then you might as well not enter the competition, it’s as straight forward and as simple as that.

“It is a difficult group with Poland and the Czech Republic in there as well as Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino who you have to have the utmost respect for.

“In sport anything can happen but if we go about our business by keeping our terrific form going at Windsor Park and if we can stick that together with performances and results away from home then you give yourself the chance of being successful.

“What I’ve done as a player is done. This is all about the players now going out and performing, enjoying football and winning games does that. It’s the only way I know.

“Nowadays money talks somewhere along the line and I’m sure will be sorted out with the players down the line as far as a bonus goes.

“That’s not for now though. There will probably be a cash incentive but to go and represent your country over the next 10 games to try to qualify for a World Cup is a bigger incentive.

“We have a sports scientist on board and that is the way forward for football.

“There is no guarantee it will lead to getting a result but all we can do is eliminate as many distractios that might get in the way to make sure the players can do their best for Northern Ireland.

“I’m delighted we came out here on Wednesday because if we’d come out later in this heat then we could certainly have been hit for six.

“But we’re here, we know what the conditions are like, we’ve worked accordingly.