Soccer
Hoops looking to complete the job in Albania
By Daire Walsh
A PLACE in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round will be up for grabs at the Elbasan Arena tonight (kick-off 7pm Irish time) when Shamrock Rovers renew acquaintances with KF Teuta Durrës.
Just 1-0 up on aggregate following their first leg meeting in Tallaght seven days ago, Stephen Bradley’s men will be hoping to complete the job in the Albanian city and consequently ensure their progression from the third qualifying round.
Despite being laden with star quality throughout the pitch, including four full senior internationals within their ranks, there are still ample opportunities for the Hoops’ youngest prospects to force themselves into the first-team squad.
At the tender age of 17, midfielder Aidomo Emakhu announced himself on the big stage by grabbing a potentially precious 91st-minute winner against the Kategoria Superiore champions last Thursday.
A debutant in a league encounter with Derry City on May 15 at the same venue, this looks set to be the first of many goals for Emakhu in the green and white hoops.
How prominently he will feature for the rest of the season remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that Rovers are in a good spot ahead of their latest European trip.
Having left it late before overcoming Teuta, they produced further drama on Sunday as Longford Town paid a visit to Tallaght for an SSE Airtricity League Premier Division game.
For the third time this season, the Hoops conjured an injury-time winner against the Midlanders – this time courtesy of Liam Scales with all of 95 minutes gone on the clock.
As they searched for a way to break down the stubborn resistance of Longford, Bradley threw club captain Ronan Finn, Dylan Watts, Danny Mandroiu and Rory Gaffney into the mix off the bench.
As well as being an indication he wanted to come away with all three points, it also suggested the Rovers boss was looking to rest some valuable players in advance of this evening’s second leg.
Should all go according to plan for Rovers, they will find themselves just one step away from reaching the group stages of the inaugural Europa Conference League – a third-tier competition that has been introduced by UEFA for the 2021/22 campaign.
Given they were the first Irish club to qualify for the group phase of the Europa League almost exactly 10 years ago, Rovers will want to be amongst this company.