Uefa Conference League second round qualifiers, first legs
St Joseph’s v Shamrock Rovers, Europa Point Stadium, Thursday, 5pm
With February’s heartbreaking defeat on penalties to Norwegian side Molde in last season’s Conference League play-off still fresh in their memory, Shamrock Rovers begin another quest for European glory with a trip to the tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
“We want to go deep in Europe again and that starts (today),” was head coach Stephen Bradley’s clarion call ahead of facing Gibraltar’s St Joseph’s.
Irish League side Cliftonville, having a shot tipped on to an upright in the 90th minute for what may have put them through before losing to St Joseph’s in extra-time in their first-round tie last week, threw up a maddening logistical swing for Rovers, not least the considerable expense of a charter flight to southern Spain rather than a coach trip up the M1 to Belfast.
“I was up there,” said Bradley of having been at Solitude for the second leg game. “They (Cliftonville) hit the post in the last minute, the ‘keeper got a hand on it. I was right behind the goal. I was nearly cheering!
RM Block
“I wanted Cliftonville for the connection with the club, the fans, all of that. But we go to Gibraltar and get ready to win the game.”
St Joseph’s resilience is nothing new having put it up to Shelbourne in losing 3-2 on aggregate last year, with Rovers’ mission thus to avoid any mishap here in laying the foundation to target completing their passage at Tallaght Stadium next week.
The winners will face either FC Ballkani of Kosovo or Maltese side Floriana in the third round.
St Patrick’s Athletic v Nõmme Kalju, Richmond Park, 7.45pm
Despite the potential of an eye-catching tie with either Besiktas of Turkey or Ukrainians Shaker Donetsk awaiting in the third round, St Patrick’s Athletic manager Stephen Kenny’s sole focus will not deviate from the task of getting past Estonian side Nõmme Kalju.
“I always want a draw that gives us the best chance of progressing,” said Kenny, whose team reached the qualifying play-off round last year before losing to Istanbul Başakşehir.
“People want a big one, but I’m always wanting the draw that gives us the best chance of progressing. We got to the play-off round last season.
“Obviously, there is an incentive for both teams when they see the draw. They are big names, Besiktas or Shaktar. They are institutions in their own countries, they have a great pedigree. For both teams, it’s a huge incentive.”
Kenny added he wants his players to fully embraces these nights. “European games can be the pinnacle of players’ careers. We played in Lithuania last week and we go to Estonia next week. You want to continue on that journey and go again. You don’t want to stop. They are big games and we look forward to this.”
Acknowledging Kalju were value for their second-round win over Partizani Tirana, despite the Albanian side having a higher ranking, Kenny has done his due diligence, noting Kalju play a similar 3-4-2-1 system to that employed by Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers.
“They have a lot of energy. They’re a very fit team and have some good attacking players.
“So we’ll dust ourselves down for a new challenge and get ready. They will be tough opposition. We’d ideally like to take a lead to Estonia, that has to be the objective.”
