Joey O'Brien says Qarabag experience will stand to Shelbourne going to Croatia
The League of Ireland champions bowed out of the Champions League on Wednesday night after a 1-0 defeat in Azerbaijan, losing the tie 4-0 on aggregate.
Shels were always up against it over the two legs but vastly experienced campaigners Qarabag needed a John Martin own goal to win the second-leg in Baku.
O'Brien's charges will now compete in the Europa League and they face Croatian side HNK Rijeka after they too bowed out of the Champions League on Wednesday.
The two-time Croatian champions and seven-time Cup winners lost 3-1 to Ludogorets in Bulgaria and finished with nine men after extra-time.
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Rijeka will have home advantage against Shels next Thursday, but will now be without suspended duo Gabrijel Rukavina and Toni Fruk.
Shels have the green light to play the second-leg at Tolka Park, rather than Tallaght Stadium following upgrade works.
And were they to win the tie, they would not only progress to the Europa League playoff but also guarantee themselves a Conference League league stage campaign. Shelbourne players at full-time in their Champions League defeat to Qarabag in Azerbaijan (Image: ©INPHO/Aleksandar Djorovic)
O'Brien said: 'I watched the first-leg (of Rijeka v Ludogorets) last week and it was a really tight game and it's going to be quality players again.
'But as I said to the boys, these are the games you want to be involved in. You want to be coming to places like this, putting your best foot forward and looking to impress.
'There's been a lot of positives against Qarabag, but there's a hell of a lot of learning in getting beat. Especially that understanding that if you give up poor chances and switch off for a moment they will make you pay, and when you get your chances you must take them.'
O'Brien feels that playing in the stifling 29 degree heat of Baku will also stand to his team as they prepare to play in Croatia next Thursday.
'100% it will,' he continued: 'Coming away and playing in these conditions will be the case in the next few weeks, playing in these temperatures.
'I've been in this situation myself as a player where you can't catch a breath but you need to bite down on the gumshield and stay at it.
'I'm very proud of the lads, but we're not going to celebrate being beat 4-0 either because that's not the standard that's been set at this football club.' Shelbourne's Kerr McInroy in action with Qarabag's Kady (Image: ©INPHO/Aleksandar Djorovic)
Shelbourne are back in league action on Saturday night, away to a resurgent Sligo Rovers, and O'Brien has laid down the challenge to his players on their return.
'Sligo is the next game and it's the biggest game for us,' he said. 'If you want European nights like this again next year, and be playing at this level again, you have to take care of business in your league.'
While Qarabag ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at Tolka Park a week ago, O'Brien was much happier with Shels' performance in Baku.
The former Ireland international explained: 'Coming to these places you have to give up possession sometimes and I thought our shape out-of-possession was really good.
'They didn't have many chances and the goal was just a sloppy ball off a second phase before half time that was a killer. The lads were probably thinking they had done enough to go in level at half-time but at this level if you switch off for one moment they will make you pay.
'But in the second-half I felt we went back out and attacked it again. We changed our shape a little bit and we had a great chance to make it 1-1 and we didn't take it.
'That's been the story of the tie.,' added O'Brien on Shels TV. 'They have taken their chances and the ones we created, we didn't take them.'
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