Friday’s thrilling encounter at Tallaght Stadium saw Shamrock Rovers’ near inevitable title celebrations put on hold by a defiant Shelbourne. The two clubs with Ringsend origins will soon look again east across the docklands to Europe where the UEFA Conference League takes centre-stage.
For Shelbourne, reaching European league-phase for the first time was a major coup for a team battling against the odds. Tasked with facing NIFL Premier champions Linfield mere weeks after the shocking resignation of manager Damien Duff, it was up to assistant manager Joey O’Brien to step into the fray and lead Shels onwards to international success.
Indeed, last year’s LOI Premier Division champions’ Shels saw off the Belfast team in the first of their qualifying rounds. They lost out in ties to Azerbaijani champions Qarabag and winners of the Croat league in Rijeka, but not without a shock John Martin led victory over the latter in the away leg.
And so, with history repeating itself, the Auld Reds were drawn once more with Linfield. A home first-leg tie in a raucous Tolka Park with a 3 – 1 scoreline was enough to ease tensions. Their 2 – 0 win at Windsor Park saw them on their way to a huge UEFA granted paycheck, and a chance for many more with at least six more showpiece ties in the offing.
For Rovers, the aim was the same as last year. Stephen Bradley’s side are accustomed to the challenge of achieving that goal of league-phase football. However, they came into qualifiers without the advantage of winning the title the previous year, making everything considerably more difficult.
After a first-round bye, seeing off St. Josephs and Balkani with relative ease was enough to secure the Hoops a two-legged battle with Santa Clara. A difficult challenge for which the Portuguese team would have been favoured.
Alas, a 2 -1 win away from home on the Azores Islands, followed by a tense goalless draw in which keeper Ed McGinty held strong in net, was enough to ensure the men in green and white would see the Conference League for the second year running.
The prospect of two Irish teams competing in such a competition is indicative of the progress the league has made over recent years, and the success of the Conference League itself. Expanding widely, it gives teams such as Shels, Rovers, and all else in the League of Ireland the chance to compete amongst some of Europe’s best annually.
With their play-offs won, both teams turned their attention to the league-phase draw the next morning. The pick of the ties for Shelbourne; one of their ‘home’ ties, all of which will be played at Rovers’ Tallaght Stadium due to strict UEFA regulations. They play against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace and an away match against AZ Alkmaar, the team of Ireland senior international Troy Parrott.
For Rovers, no match quite comes close to the headline-grabber that was their trip to Stamford Bridge last year to take on eventual Conference League winners in Chelsea. Though, draws against the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk and AEK Athens are certainly nothing to be sniffed at.
So far, both teams have played just the once. It was a relatively lacklustre beginning for Shels in a match with Häcken of Sweden ending 0-0 amidst intense conditions near the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. Joey O’Brien’s side are surely happy enough to see a point on the board in such a competition for which none can be guaranteed.
They now look to KF Shkëndija of Macedonia in their next match, knowing a win against them at this early stage would do wonders in helping their chances of securing a potential play-off spot.
Rovers, looking at that goalless draw for Shels, will have envied such a start, falling to a 4 -1 defeat away to Sparta Praha.
There’ll be no panic and plenty of points remain up for grabs for the Hoops. Celje of Slovenia, the one side both teams will face, are for sure a likely prospect for Rovers to properly get their campaign underway.
Whatever happens between now and the end of the league-phase, both teams are sure to see the Conference League as very much a ‘free-hit’. With payouts for singular matches larger than that of winning the domestic league or FAI cup, international ambition remains a surefire way to ensure continued success at home and abroad.
