THERE ARE A little over 6,000 tickets sold for the second leg of Shamrock Rovers’ Champions League first-round qualifier with Vikingur Reykjavik tonight.
The tie is poised for drama after a 0-0 draw last week and the perilous reality facing teams is evident by what is over the horizon.
The winners progress to face Sparta Prague in the next stage, with it a seven-figure bounty and guarantee of at least two more ties, while the losers drop into the Europa Conference League second round for a do-or-die meeting with either Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Egnatia from Albania.
Tallaght Stadium, with its fourth stand now completed, has already seen a record attendance of 10,094 for the League of Ireland Premier Division clash with Bohemians in March, but Rovers are some way off reaching that figure again tonight.
Perhaps it’s an indication of this season’s domestic woes – as well as last season’s disappointing showing in Europe – that another milestone crowd seems out of reach.
At this stage of the competition in 2023, when Rovers exited after successive defeats to Briedablik, 7,216 filled Tallaght for a 1-0 loss in the first leg.
Stephen Bradley insists there are signs his team are rediscovering the characteristics that have delivered four league titles in a row and led to qualification for the group stage of the Conference League two years ago.
“We were getting our identity back, you could see a real togetherness, a real hunger to work for each other, which was really important,” he said of the recent performance against Dundalk.
Of greater relevance was the manner in which Rovers frustrated Vikingur on their own patch and limited them to speculative efforts on goal. They didn’t manage a shot on target from 11 attempts and other than a scramble in the penalty area that struck the post Bradley’s side were resolute.
“I can’t say what their frame of mind was or what they were thinking. We knew how they would set up. Their team selection suggested that they felt they could win the game,” he said.
“They went with all their attacking players which was interesting. But I thought we dealt with it really well, and other than that early chance when Leon [Pohls] made that save, I can’t remember giving up anything else. They had a lot of corners and set-plays, which we dealt with really well and in the end we should probably win the game.”
That’s because the introduction of Johnny Kenny off the substitutes’ bench just after the hour mark led to the two best chances of the game. The second, in particular, as he raced through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, was crucial.
His attempt at a delicate dink was overcooked and the effort sailed over the bar.
“One of Johnny’s biggest strengths is his mentality in terms of his willingness to miss chances. That’s really important for a centre forward, to have that bravery,” Bradley said.
“If you put Johnny in that situation again [tonight], he scores and that’s the beauty of him. When he came on, he showed how dangerous he is and has been all year.
“For both chances, he gives yards and still gets there. So we know what Johnny is capable of, and we have to accept at times he’ll miss chances. That’s part and parcel of the game.”
Tonight: Shamrock Rovers (0) v Vikingur Reykjavik (0), kick-off: 8pm
