These are strange days indeed to be a Wales supporter. Whereas previous starts to qualifying campaigns have more often than not gone disastrously – the 5-1 home defeat to Slovakia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers being a particularly traumatic example – the Dragons are currently top of their group, with a chance to progress to the 2016 European Championships in France a real possibility.

Two wins and a draw represents a great start for Chris Coleman's men. Since the top two teams in each group now qualify automatically for the finals, not to mention a play-off berth for the third-placed side, there is a real belief among the players and, most significantly, the long-suffering fans that the hoodoo of 1958 – the last time Wales qualified for a major tournament – can finally be broken.

Nevertheless, it would be unfair to conclude that it is only due to the revised and simplified qualification process that Wales stand any chance of succeeding where so often they have fallen short. After a slow, unconvincing beginning to his tenure, Coleman has built an organised, hard-to-beat side containing an exciting mixture of young talent, established Premier Leaguers and a genuine world-class star.

In spite of the huge setback of having eleven players withdraw from the squad for the double-header against Bosnia and Hercegovina and Cyprus last week, including first team regulars Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen, the depleted Welsh performed heroically to draw against the Bosnians and beat the Cypriots, which is testament to Coleman's leadership and the strong team spirit which is unifying the whole team.

'Together Stronger' is the slogan for Wales' campaign – a rough translation of the Welsh motto Gorau Chwarae Cyd Chwarae – and it is Gareth Bale who is the epitomy of this newfound togetherness within the squad. His unbridled joy at the end of the Cyprus match was captivating, his passionate rallying of the crowd after winning a corner against Bosnia stirring, and it was he who initiated the post-match huddle after both games, instructing the players to applaud the fans before heading into the tunnel.

So crucial is Bale's presence as a motivator and morale-booster that it is arguably these attributes that Wales rely on most, rather than his immense footballing talents. The Real Madrid man failed to score in both games, yet his sheer enthusiasm and unrestrained, contagious determination to see his country succeed galvanised the entire stadium, let alone his teammates.

Such are the demands of playing for the world's biggest football club that there were fears that Bale's move to Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur might have led to less frequent participation with the national set-up. Interestingly, however, it seems to have had the opposite effect, with Bale playing the full 90 minutes in all three qualifying games so far.

At Spurs, Bale was very much the star man, the key player that the side could not do without; at Real, on the other hand, he has become another superstar player in a whole team of world-class talent. It may simply be the case that with Wales, Bale relishes being the most important player in the team once more, a luxury he lost when he moved to the Bernabeu.

There is a long way to go for Wales in this qualifying campaign, of course. But if Chris Coleman's men can maintain the admirable team spirit and unity they have displayed so far – spearheaded by the inspirational Bale – then a 58-year wait may finally come to an end.

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