GROUNDED Harry Arter insists he still has huge hurdles to overcome if he is to achieve a dream berth at Euro 2016 with the Republic of Ireland.

The Boys in Green booked their spot at next summer's tournament in France courtesy of a 2-0 second-leg play-off victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday.

Midfielder Arter, an unused substitute in the 3-1 aggregate success at the Aviva Stadium, is hoping to become the first Cherries player in 25 years to achieve selection for a major tournament – the last being the Republic's Gerry Peyton for the 1990 World Cup.

Arter's only senior international cap to date came when he was brought on as a second-half substitute for the 0-0 friendly draw with England in June.

But a persistent groin problem stunted the 25-year-old's progress after that and he only made his comeback from injury in Cherries' League Cup defeat to Liverpool at the end of October.

Reflecting on the possibility of selection for the Republic's third European Championship, the former Woking man told the Daily Echo: "Going back a few years, having the chance to play in a major championship was a million miles away. It's close to becoming a reality but there is still a long way to go because it is a long season.

"I'm definitely not counting my chickens over being in the squad because I know I've still got a lot of work to do. But I would like to think that if I'm playing every week in the Premier League and doing well then I would have a good chance.

"My main objective is to play for Bournemouth and, hopefully, that will be enough to get me in the Irish squad. If I could get to the Euros, it would be a footballing dream come true."

Arter also revealed his gratitude towards Martin O'Neill for the huge confidence boost the Republic boss had given him during a frustrating spell on the sidelines.

He said: "Throughout my injury, he was calling me once a month to see how I was getting on and even though I was injured, he was still picking me in squads.

"To have backing from someone like him gave me a lot of confidence and a lot of motivation to get fit, so I'm really thankful for that and, hopefully, I can repay him."

Discussing victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, Arter added: "It was quite hard for me because I have been part of a few squads but I didn't feel I had contributed enough to celebrate as much as the other players, so it was it was a little bit of a difficult one.

"But it was nice to be part of a team that had achieved something and it was good to see all the Irish fans happy."