Shels shock worth a fortune

ON the eve of the most important game in the history of Irish club football, the principal figures involved in Shelbourne’s astonishing Champions’ League run are only too well aware of the need for the club to build on their achievements.

Club secretary Ollie Byrne who, having seen many bad times as well as the current glory days, is very conscious of moving the club forward. A win for Shels would guarantee six Champions’ League ties and untold riches beyond the expectations of any previous Irish club.

“We dreamed all along about something like this and now some part of the dream has become a reality. There is no shadow of doubt we are talking of millions. There is a track record there that what Rosenborg and what Malmo and various teams around Europe have accumulated by qualifying for the group stage and it is phenomenal what can be achieved if we got a result in the 90 minutes,” Byrne says.