Middlesbrough fan James Helm, a BBC correspondent in Dublin, has a ready smirk these days for anyone who asks about his footballing preferences

I woke from a dream the other night. Some nonsense about Middlesbrough being in a European cup final, with a gleaming trophy raised aloft as the manager headed off into the sunset to become the new England boss. I turned over and went back to sleep.

And yet, and yet. Today, with many thousands of others who support the Boro, I'll be heading for Eindhoven in the east of Holland. A Uefa Cup final with Seville awaits. Sure, it's not the Champions League final, but that can wait a year or two. This is, quite simply, the biggest day in the club's history. It makes decades of ups and downs, and more downs, such as the freezing afternoon once spent watching a dismal defeat at York City, feel worthwhile.

I've had a spring in my step, and a ready smirk for anyone who's asked about my footballing preferences. At O'Reilly's in Sandymount, being "The Middlesbrough Fan" doesn't quite produce the mirth it once did.

The manner of the march to the final is what has helped make it all so special. Irish sports fans might have stumbled on Setanta's coverage, perhaps waiting for a bit of rugby or some golf. What they got were two epic games. The quarter-final against Basel and the semi against Steaua Bucharest produced jaw-dropping comebacks at the Riverside. In case you missed them, each time Boro were as good as out. Each time they needed a mere four goals to progress. And each time, a bald Italian called Maccarone clinched it, scoring the killer fourth goal with seconds remaining to spark wild celebrations.

As the fourth goal went in against Steaua, I was unable to watch. The BBC Radio Cleveland match commentator shrieked about how "lightning can strike twice", in a wonderful, emotional volley to rival the Norwegian from the 1980s who greeted the defeat of England by mentioning Maggie Thatcher and Winston Churchill.

Friends in Dublin who'd watched, presumably initially in sympathy for me, rang and texted, amazed at what they had seen. Dead and buried after 20 minutes, they somehow did it. I was gobsmacked: this sort of thing just doesn't happen to Middlesbrough. On the BBC's 5 Live, fans from other English clubs phoned in their congratulations.

Then there is the squad of players, and no apologies for returning to this theme. A rarity in the Premiership, it's stacked full of home-grown talent. Middlesbrough's youth academy has gone into overdrive, churning out new stars with local roots. As the Premiership faded away last Sunday, Boro's line-up at Fulham consisted of 15 players out of 16 who were born within 30 miles of the town. One of them, 18-year-old Lee Cattermole, became the club's youngest-ever captain. Stewart Downing, a relative veteran at 21, is heading to Germany for the World Cup.

It's a perfect way for Steve McClaren to wave farewell as he goes off to manage somewhere else. His departure to the England job makes tonight's game even more promising. He was never entirely adored by the fans, who saved their adulation for the chairman, Steve Gibson, but he goes with good wishes and much respect. European entertainers and providers of the national team boss - blimey.

In terms of silverware, McClaren is already the club's most successful manager, and he has helped nurture many of the youngsters. If his team beat Seville - which will be anything but easy - then this will be always remembered as a golden era. My words may not be echoed across Ireland, but good luck to him.

So Nige, Togger, Bealesy and the rest of my bunch of mates are heading to Holland, tickets in hand, by any route possible. It may not quite match the looming Munster exodus, but a small corner of Holland will turn red and white for the day and night ahead.

After pinning my colours to the mast in The Irish Times a few weeks back, I was flooded with at least one telephone call. Special thanks to Séamus Coughlan from Clonskeagh, who reassured me he also supports the Boro, having lived in Middlesbrough in the 1960s. I've also spotted the ex-Boro and Ireland right-back Curtis Fleming acting as a TV pundit. So at last count, that's three of us in Dublin. Victory tonight might swell the ranks even further. And if lightning can strike twice, then unlikely dreams can also come true.