Shelbourne swoop to sign Dutch goalkeeper Wessel Speel
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shelbourne v Qarabag FK LIVE score updates from the Champions League qualifier
Shelbourne will face a big step up as they face Qarabag in the second round of the Champions League this evening in front of a packed out Tolka Park. The Azerbaijan champions are heavily favoured to win this one despite the long journey west and Joey O'Brien's side will have it all to do. Shelbourne backed up their 1-0 home win against Linfield with a 1-1 draw in Windsor Park to secure their spot in the second round of Champions League qualifying. But they'll need to up their performance tonight if they are to get out of Tolka Park with a result. Today's game kicks off at 7.45 pm and will be shown live on Premier Sports 1, we will have all the live updates here on the Irish Mirror. So make sure to stay tuned to all the updates. Shelbourne: Healy, Caffrey, Gannon, Barrett (C), Ledwidge, Wilson, Lunney, McInroy, Wood, Coote, Mipo Subs: Speel, Topcu, Chapman, Coyle, Boyd, Martin, Bone, O'Sullivan, Kelly, Norris, Temple, Offor 19:20 Darragh Culhane Hello and welcome to live coverage between Shelbourne and Qarabag in the second round of Champions League qualifying. Things haven't been all rosy in Tolka Park following a stuttering league defence and Damien Duff's departure. But the show must go on with Joey O'Brien stepping into the role seamlessly. O'Brien, however, faces his toughest test to date with Qarabag coming to town and the Azerbaijan champions are heavily favoured for this one. Today's game kicks off at 7.45 pm and you can check out all the live score updates right here.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
St Patrick's Athletic boss in FAI Cup draw quip as tough tie awaits the Saints
Stephen Kenny reckons someone was double-jobbing this week - with his St Patrick's Athletic side landing two tough draws within 24 hours of each other. First up was Monday's Europa Conference League third round draw. The reward for progress over Estonian side Nomme Kalju will be a tie against one of two European group stage regulars. Turkish giants Besiktas are managed by former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while Ukrainians Shakhtar Donetsk won the UEFA Cup in 2009. Then on Tuesday, in the draw for the third round of the FAI Cup, Pat's were handed a home tie against League of Ireland champions Shelbourne. The St Pat's boss quipped: 'I think the same person was doing the two draws! Two tough draws, Shelbourne is a tough game, Pat's v Shels is a great game. As for the prospect of facing either Besiktas or Shakhtar, it wasn't the draw Kenny was after. He said: 'I always want a draw that gives us the best chance of progressing. People want a big one, but I'm always wanting the draw that gives us the best chance of got to the play-off round last season. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . 'Obviously, there is an incentive for both teams when they see the draw. They are big names, Besiktas or Shaktar. There are institutions in their own countries. They have a great pedigree. 'For both teams it's a huge incentive, but from our point of view we want to… 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.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Extra.ie
5 hours ago
- Extra.ie
O'Brien urges Shels to mirror Tipp in Champions League clash
Shelbourne are preparing to take on Qarabag in the first-leg of their second round of Champions League qualifiers on Wednesday evening. If Shelbourne manage to knock-out the Azerbaijani side in this round, they will be guaranteed a place in a European competition later this year. However, it may be a tough task with Qarabag strong favourites after making the group stages of European competitions for the last 11 years running. Shelbourne boss Joey O'Brien knows his side won't back down. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile The Reds do have a two-round safety net of the Europa League and then the Conference League if the visitors are too much for them over the two legs, but if they do pass through, Shelbourne will face the winners of Macedonians Shkendija and Romanian side FCBS. If Shelbourne are knocked-out at this stage, they will face a tough Europa League third-round qualifier against the defeated side of the match between HNK Rijeka of Croatia and Ludogorets 1945 from Bulgaria. If Joey O'Brien's side then fall at that hurdle, they will have a final chance to get into Europe in a Conference League play-off. However, the new boss insists that his players are well up for the challenge and have no intention of bowing out early. He said: 'Underdogs …. Irish people in general love that, don't they? Watching the hurling there at the weekend and it was the underdogs that won it. 'The level of competition has gone up. Qarabag have made the group stages for 10 or 11 years. They have shown their class. Their individual players are unbelievable. 'Some have come and gone but their style of play is the same. They still have very good players. The big thing for me is having no regrets after European games like this – it's a moment in a player's career to go out and really embrace it.' Shelbourne have three chances to get into Europe. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile When asked what traits are needed to pull off an upset, the Shels boss simply said: 'Winning, ultimately'. O'Brien's side are fresh off their 2-1 aggregate victory over Northern Irish side Linfield in the first-round last week, but they got their first taste of VAR scrutiny in the away leg. The Reds had a well-worked set-piece goal from Kerr McInroy chalked off deep in first-half stoppage time due to a pull of a jersey at the back post and O'Brien admitted that they will have to be more subtle with their use of the dark arts when the cameras are involved. He added: 'The big one was last week because after Linfield equalised, we went straight back up the pitch just before half-time to score from a worked set-play. 'Most of the time you'd get away with it. The dressing room was a bit flat from the emotion of it. It took a bit of an edge off us but the lads managed the second-half well.' He also admitted that the presence of VAR may lead to the side rethinking some of their set-piece routines. O'Brien continued: 'Set-plays are such a massive part of the game and I've had a huge focus on that over the last number of years. You see how important set-plays are, at all levels. They decide so many big games and so many moments in big games. 'You see results in England and Europe and it could be 2-0, 3-0 or 4-0 but the first or second goal could be a set-play and it could have broken the spirit of the opposition. 'So set-plays are massive. Both sides of it, defending and attacking and over this tie and going forward, we need to be on the money in both boxes.' Shelbourne have already banked €1.71million so far from their European journey and that will effectively soar to €4million if they manage to produce an upset against Qarabag.
