St Patrick's Athletic to face Lithuanian side Hegelmann in Europa Conference League
St Patrick's Athletic have landed Lithuanian side Hegelmann in the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
All the details and seedings as Shamrock Rovers await Euro draw after boost
Shamrock Rovers, who were handed a huge European boost on the back of League of Ireland rivals Drogheda United's heartbreaking removal from the Europa Conference League, will on Wednesday discover their second qualifying round opponents. The Hoops were due to be in the first qualifying round draw on Tuesday, along with St Patrick's Athletic, who were paired with Lithuanian side FC Hagelmann. However, following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to boot Drogheda out of the competition over a breach of the multi-club ownership rules, Rovers were bumped up to the second qualifying round. It's just four months since the club last competed in Europe. Last season Stephen Bradley's side embarked on a historic journey all the way to the last-32, where they were eliminated on penalties by Molde. They qualified for the League phase - for the second time in three seasons - by progressing through the so-called champions route, starting in the Champions League, then dropping into the Europa League, where a win over Celje earned them guaranteed group stage football. 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. What's at stake? This time around, for Shamrock Rovers, it's a trickier path, as Shelbourne are Ireland's representatives in the Champions League. However, their sudden bye into the second qualifying round has eased things a little. And they are boosted by the fact that their European performances in recent years, not least last season, means they are seeded not only in the second and third and, crucially, the play-off round, if they get there. Unlike in recent seasons when they started in the Champions League, however, there is no safety net. Lose at any stage and they are out. When is the draw? The draw takes place on Wednesday June 18 at 3pm Irish time. Where can I watch it? UEFA will stream the draw live. What about the Ts & Cs? UEFA will confirm any changes, groupings (regional) and draw procedure on Wednesday morning. So, who might they face? Currently on the unseeded side of the second qualifying round draw are clubs such as HB Torshavn (Faroes), Hibernians (Malta) and Dungannon Swifts (Northern Ireland). A bunch of unseeded clubs will also emerge from the first round ties. Worryingly, there are some really difficult opponents on the unseeded side, including Swedish duo Hammarby and AIK Stockholm.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
‘Something we'd like to rectify this year' - St Pat's ace reacts to Euro draw
Jamie Lennon has opened up about the pain of narrowly missing out on league phase football in Europe last year - and a desire to 'rectify' that this time around. However, the St Patrick's Athletic midfielder insisted that no one would be taking their eye off the challenges that lie ahead of any potential bid to create a piece of club history. First up, they must overcome Lithuanian side FC Hagelmann - a 16-year-old club with just one tie behind them in Europe so far, and that was a 5-0 thumping at the hands of North Macedonian side Shkupi two years ago. Commenting on the ambition to go further into Europe than ever before, Lennon pointed to the heartache last year, when Pat's lost narrowly to Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir in the play-off round. 'You can't look too far into the future,' he said, 'but I speak on behalf of all the players when I say you remember the feeling coming off the pitch in Turkey last year. 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. 'It was a real disappointment, you were so close to becoming the first team in the club's history to reach the group stages. 'It's something we'd like to rectify this year if we can, but it's one step at a time.' Pat's still have four league games to play - against Galway United, Derry City, Cork City and Bohemians, before they kick off their European campaign. So all eyes are on improving their domestic form before they turn their attention to learning some more about their Lithuanian opponents. 'It's an exciting draw,' Lennon said. 'At this time of year you are wondering who and where you are going to be playing in Europe. 'We obviously don't know too much about them, but come closer to the time we'll do our work on them. 'We've got a lot of games between now and then where we need to try to pick up results, but it's something we are looking forward to. 'We treat every game the same and when Europe comes around it's going to be different playing against players you have never played against before; different style, different system. But it's a good challenge. 'But, like I said, we have a lot of games between now and then and we want to try to pick up as many points as we can, so our confidence will be high going into the European game.' Last year, Stephen Kenny's side used their European form to help turn around results on the home front - and Lennon is hopeful that they can repeat that. 'It was a big moment in our season last year, a big home European game after some disappointing results, going out in the cup and things like that,' he said. 'That really kicked us on for the rest of the season and set the standard of what we needed in the last nine games of the league season. 'Hopefully we can do the same this year, but it's a draw we are excited for, Europe is always what you want to play in as a player in this league, and when the time comes around it's really exciting.'
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Shelbourne to face Linfield in Champions League qualifiers in July
League of Ireland champions Shelbourne will play Linfield in an all-island clash in the first round of the Champions League qualifiers in July. Damien Duff's side will host the NIFL Premiership champions in Dublin on the 8th or 9th of July, with the return leg set for the following week at Windsor Park in Belfast on the 15th or 16th. This is the second successive year where the champions of the Irish and Northern Irish leagues have faced off in European competition, with Shamrock Rovers beating Larne 4-1 in Windsor Park in the Uefa Conference League last October. Linfield went into the draw as one of the seeded teams, as a result of their previous record in the competition. READ MORE It is the Blues' 15th appearance in the Champions League qualifying rounds this century. They also hold the record for the longest European run by an Irish team, with a quarter-final exit in the 1966/67 European Cup. Meanwhile, Shels were unseeded, having not played in the Champions League qualifiers since the 2005/06 season. In Europe last season, Linfield lost to Icelandic side Stjarnan FC 4-3 on aggregate in the Conference League first round. Shelbourne lost 3-0 to Switzerland's FC Zurich in the second round of the same competition. The teams were paired together in the draw at Uefa's HQ in Nyon, Switzerland, where the Conference League draw also took place. St Patrick's Athletic are set to face Lithuanian side FC Hemmelberg in the first qualifying round of that competition. Hemmelberg finished second in the A Lyga, Lithuania's top flight last season. They are currently in the same spot, but only behind on goal difference. Although only founded in 2009, this is their second season in European competition, having lost 5-0 on aggregate to KF Shkupi of Macedonia last year. Shamrock Rovers benefited from Drogheda's bad fortune, following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to uphold Uefa's removal of the FAI Cup winners from the Conference League. The league leaders have been moved into the second round draw for the competition, which will take place on Wednesday. Rovers finished 10th in the league phase of the Conference League and were knocked out in the next round by Molde FK on penalties. They earned over €6 million through their performances in Europe last year, all the Irish teams in continental competition looking to follow suit.
