A WORLD Cup berth would be the icing on the cake, but Sydney FC striker Dwight Yorke says he won't be forgetting where his bread is buttered the next few weeks.
Yorke will lead his country Trinidad and Tobago into a two-legged World Cup playoff against Bahrain on November 12 and 16.
The tiny Caribbean nation has never played in the World Cup finals and has been involved only once in a playoff, a 1989 loss to the United States.
Yorke said representing his country at the World Cup in Germany next year would rank as his highest achievement in football, surpassing all the European club and English Premier League titles and awards he won during his glittering career with Manchester United.
But while admitting the anticipation of the playoff may be a little distracting, Yorke insists it will not hamper his efforts with Sydney FC in the A-League.
And after last week's 5-0 beating from the Melbourne Victory, Yorke has promised a big return to form from both himself and his teammates tomorrow against the New Zealand Knights at Aussie Stadium.
"It's something that you work throughout your career for," Yorke said today of playing in the World Cup.
"And I've been very fortunate to go on and win great things for Manchester United, but the ultimate, or as we say putting the icing on the cake, would be qualifying for the World Cup.
"Certainly the next two weeks are going to be really exciting.
"(But) first and foremost is where does my bread and butter lie? That's Sydney FC, and I will be making sure we do the business here and ... be top of the table come Friday night."
Yorke said the whole of Trinidad and Tobago was buzzing last week after the national side beat central American powerhouses Mexico 2-1 to finish fourth in the CONCACAF region and earn a playoff spot with the fifth-best Asian country Bahrain.
"It's an amazing time for any country, let alone our little tiny country in the Caribbean," the 33-year-old said.
Trinidad and Tobago's population is just 1.1 million.
"It's an amazing achievement, but for us the job is not complete yet.
"We've put ourselves in a very strong position, hopefully we can capitalise on that, and make the most of it, because those opportunities don't come along very often in life, let alone for Trinidad and Tobago," he said.
"As a kid it's the ultimate playing in World Cup games and playing on the World Cup stage, and if we can achieve that, it would be the most amazing thing in football for me, as much as I've achieved a lot in my career as well."
After being thumped 5-0 by the Victory, Yorke said Sydney's performance tomorrow would show a lot about the team's character.
"Everybody is a bit heart taken about the result but we're two points from the top of the table, and hopefully we can erase the weekend with a win on Friday," he said.
"That's the sign of a good team. We're going to see who is mentally tough. Hopefully I can be on the receiving end, because I'm surely up for it on Friday."