THE Red Wall, Gareth Bale’s free-kicks, that Ben Davies clearance, Aaron Ramsey’s ridiculous hair, Hal Robson-Kanu’s moment of genius and heartbreak in Lyon at the hands of Cristiano Ronaldo – the summer of 2016 is one Wales will never forget.

Tonight Ryan Giggs’ men have the chance to seal a place at Euro 2020 and victory over Hungary will give Bale and his teammates the opportunity to create more magical memories at a second major tournament.

It's something that Giggs and the generation before him - greats of the game like Neville Southall, Mark Hughes and Ian Rush - never experienced.

And, as he faced the media at yesterday’s pre-match press conference at the Vale Resort, the Wales boss seemed oddly subdued.

Saturday’s comfortable win in Azerbaijan, coupled with Slovakia’s defeat in Croatia, means his side are on the brink of qualification.

Giggs should have been in bullish mood but he was determined not to get ahead of himself, perhaps haunted by his experiences as a player as Wales missed out on a place at the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2004 by falling at the final hurdle.

Asked if qualification this evening would make up for those defeats to Romania and Russia, the former Manchester United man preferred not to dwell on the past.

“It’s not about me,” insisted Giggs. “It’s about the country as a whole and getting to a major championship.

“What the team did in 2016, whether you were involved or you were a fan travelling to the games or watching it on TV, was amazing.

“If we can recreate that atmosphere it will be fantastic, but it’s not about individuals.

“We're in good form and we've gathered some momentum,” he added.

“I think we’ve put ourselves in a great position but we need to finish the job off.

“We have to show quality, but the players are ready for the challenge.

“It’s in our hands now and it’s a great challenge. It’s an exciting challenge but it will be a very difficult night.

“We have to show the belief that we’ve shown and the quality we have and be brave on the ball.

“We’ll have to be better than we were the other night but we have shown quality and I believe in this group of players.”

South Wales Argus:

Giggs also dismissed the idea that he’d changed his philosophy after the summer defeats in Croatia and Hungary, but it’s clear that the introduction of target man Kieffer Moore has been a big boost over the past four matches.

“He’s come in and done a fantastic job,” said Bale when he was asked about Moore’s impact.

“I think he’s kind of that out ball for us now where we know someone can hold the ball up for us and we can play off him.

“We have more options which is always good for us as a squad and a team and he’s done fantastic since he came in.

“He has worked really hard and scored some important goals for us. Hopefully he can carry on that run of form and we can qualify.”

Bale and Wales have also benefited from the emergence of a talented crop of attacking talent with Dan James and Harry Wilson shining in Baku and David Brooks yet to return from injury.

“The youngsters have come in and done really well,” said the Real Madrid star.

“I think we’ve got a good mix of youth and experience in the team, which is important.

“It’s important that they step up to the plate as well, which they have done, but it’s a massive game and we need to use our experience as older players to help the youngsters to come through it.

“I think maybe now we’ve got more attacking options, which is good,” he added when asked if there was less of a goal-scoring burden on his shoulders these days.

“I don’t really feel the pressure too much, to be honest.

“I just try to do the best for the team and, whether I score or not, I’m happy as long as we win.

“That’s the most important thing. To qualify is the main goal and you can’t qualify with one player.

“It’s a big team effort and it’s good that we’re all chipping in and working for each other.”

Just like four years ago, this is a Wales team with two world class talents and a supporting cast combining to become more than the sum of its parts.

Three points tonight will mean they go down in Welsh football history and allow Giggs to lay to rest some of the ghosts of the past.