Soccer
Rovers looking to continue European odyssey against Flora
By Daire Walsh
THE dust may have only just settled on their impressive victory over KF Teuta Durrës of Albania, but Shamrock Rovers will be back in European action this evening against Estonian champions Flora at the A. Le Coq Arena (kick-off 5pm Irish time).
This is the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round, with the eventual winner of the tie progressing to the group stages of this inaugural competition.
Following tonight’s tussle, the two sides will renew acquaintances at the Tallaght Stadium next Thursday and Rovers will be hoping to benefit from the support of 3,500 spectators who will be permitted access for the tie as was announced earlier this week.
Stephen Bradley’s men will be hoping to bring a positive result back to their home patch and the form displayed by the Hoops in recent weeks suggest they are more than capable of doing so.
Including a Champions League second leg success at the expense of Slovan Bratislava, Rovers are currently on a winning streak of eight games across all competitions.
Their most recent triumph was on the road against Drogheda United last Sunday – Aaron Greene bagging the only goal of the contest to move the holders three points clear at the summit of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.
Given this is the Champions Path of the Conference League qualifiers, the expectation of Flora is also high within their homeland.
Having finished top of the pile in the A. Le Coq Premium Liiga in 2020, Jürgen Henn’s outfit are currently second in the domestic standings behind FCI Levadia.
There is past form between Rovers and Flora, dating back to the UEFA Champions League qualifiers of 2011/12. Courtesy of a 34th-minute goal from Chris Turner during the first leg in Tallaght, the Hoops came away with a 1-0 aggregate win.
While their top-tier European odyssey ended at the hands of Copenhagen in the third qualifying round, Rovers were transferred to the play-off phase of that season’s Europa League for a two-legged affair with Partizan Belgrade.
Thanks to goals from Gary McCabe (brother of Republic of Ireland women’s soccer captain Katie), Pat Sullivan and current St Patrick’s Athletic head coach Stephen O’Donnell, Michael O’Neill’s Hoops made history by becoming the first Irish club to reach the group stages of a European competition.
Almost exactly 10 years later, Rovers will have a golden opportunity to repeat this feat. With no league or cup action to concern themselves within in between the two legs, it will be all systems go over the next seven days.