Bradley’s boys back in European action
By Daire Walsh
A SPOT in the group stages of the competition might well be beyond their reach at this point, but Shamrock Rovers will nonetheless be eager to end their UEFA Europa League qualification campaign on a high against Ferencvaros at Tallaght Stadium this evening.
Thanks to goals from Adama Traore (two), Carlos Auzqui and Eldar Civic, their Hungarian opponents came away with a 4-0 win in last Thursday’s play-off round first leg in Budapest.
This appears to have placed the tie beyond doubt and ended the Hoops’ hopes of advancing to the group phase of European football’s second-tier for the first time since 2011.
However, even if the great escape isn’t pulled off tonight by Stephen Bradley’s men, they will have a run in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stages to look forward to.
This is something that will be financially beneficial for the Tallaght club and given some of the performances they have produced in the higher echelons of Europe thus far in 2022, there is no reason why the Hoops can’t be highly competitive in the ECL.
Given how unlikely a dramatic turnaround in fortunes is for Rovers, it will be interesting to see what team Bradley selects for this evening’s return leg.
Although the Jobstown native is undoubtedly eager for his charges to do themselves justice after a disappointing display in Budapest, a FAI Cup second-round showdown with Drogheda United follows swiftly on the heels of this contest.
Head In The Game Park is the venue for this last-16 encounter on Sunday evening (kick-off 5pm). When you consider it is all of 35 years since the club completed a domestic league and cup double, Bradley may well have one eye on their clash against the Co. Louth men.
That said, the depth of his squad means the former Arsenal youth player can still pick a starting line-up brimming with quality, regardless of who comes in or out.
For last Sunday’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division meeting with Dundalk, Bradley was able to recall ex-Rotherham United and Salford City star Richie Towell. The Inchicore man repaid the faith shown in him with a goal against his former club.
Strikers Aaron Greene and Rory Gaffney were also on target to propel Rovers towards a convincing 3-0 win over the Lilywhites. Despite having a game in hand, the Hoops are now seven points clear at the Premier Division summit.