SHAMROCK ROVERS HAVE been given a significant boost ahead of tomorrow’s second leg of their Champions League first round qualifier away to Hibernians of Malta, with Jack Byrne and Graham Burke passed fit. 

Both attacking players missed the 3-0 win at home to the Maltese side in last week’s first leg, but both have travelled this week and are are ready to feature tomorrow night. Burke has accumulated just 16 minutes of action since the end of May, while Byrne hasn’t played in six weeks due to a calf problem. Neil Farrugia will miss tomorrow’s game with injury, but he has travelled with the squad and is expected to be fit within a few days. 

Rovers flew to Malta yesterday, forced to take a charter plane from Shannon rather than Dublin. 

“We flew out of Shannon”, said Rovers manager Stephen Bradley. “We obviously had an issue with Dublin airport, they couldn’t staff the plane, so we tried Belfast but we ended up through Shannon. It was great. No issues in the airport, they looked after us really well. The flight was good, we stopped in Paris for a short refuelling and then straight over here. It was a good day, no issues at all.” 

A three-goal cushion puts Rovers’ in a very commanding position ahead of tomorrow’s second leg, but Bradley warned of the opportunities Hibernians created in what proved to be emphatic defeat in the first leg. 

“We obviously looked back at the game a number of times and we aren’t happy with the chances we gave up in the second half. On another night they could have pulled one or two back, so we have to make sure we don’t give them those opportunities in tomorrow’s game. Our aim is to go and win the game but we have to respect them and not give up the chances we gave up in Tallaght.”

Should Rovers progress, their likely opponents are Ludogorets of Bulgaria, who hold a two-goal first-leg lead against FK Sutjeska Nikšić of Montenegro. 

Tomorrow’s second-leg clash with Hibernians will be broadcast live on RTÉ News Now, from 6.55pm.