Pragmatic Shels ready for Riazor challenge

ONE of the benefits of advancing this far in European competition is that the draw can send you to some of the most beautiful corners of Europe.

But Shelbourne will have no time to appreciate the attractions of La Coruna and its neighbouring pilgrimage city of Santiago De Compostela until they have settled matters with Deportivo tomorrow night.

This north-west corner of Spain is a little distant from the more popular package holiday destinations at the opposite end of the country and more attractive because of that.

There is an authentic appeal to La Coruna and Santiago that immediately strikes a chord. The lack of English amongst the local people is a surprise and it creates the impression the people of Galicia are less than enamoured of the idea of developing an international tourist industry as intensive as the Costa Del Sol. But maybe it is just taking a little longer.

Shelbourne have set up camp on the picturesque promenade of La Coruna with panoramic views of the magnificent crescent shaped bay. Standing sentinel over the sweeping beach that has given it its name and less than half-a-mile away is the Riazor Stadium, home of Deportivo.

Shelbourne manager Pat Fenlon confessed to not having taken much notice of either vista over the past 48 hours so focused has he and his squad been on preparing for their huge challenge in this second leg Champions League qualifier tomorrow.

Shelbourne squeezed three training sessions into their first two days in Spain and Fenlon confirmed he has a fully-fit squad to choose from. Jamie Harris and Kevin Doherty have both recovered and are available for selection.

Shelbourne’s achievement in getting to within 90 minutes of qualifying for the group stages of the biggest club tournament in the world reflects the totally professional attitude they have brought to Tolka Park over the past several years.

In Pat Fenlon they have a manager with a lot of experience of playing in international competition at club level and he has developed a squad that offers a big choice of players who are talented, ambitious and pragmatic in their approach.

You will not find this Shelbourne team committing the cardinal error that ruined so many European challenges in the past of being over-ambitious in going ‘gung-ho’ for quality opposition. Their victory over Hajduk Split and their 0-0 draw with Deportivo at Lansdowne Road showed this effectively.

“I think every time you play in Europe you’ve got to re-adjust but at home we do that as well,” Fenlon said. “We’ve changed formation in different areas when we’ve played against some opponents in Ireland and I think that is the reason why we’ve been a bit more successful at home and in Europe in recent times; we’ve been able to adjust.”

Fenlon was loath to expand on his plans for this second leg but said: “We’ll probably change our play a little bit. It won’t be a million miles from where we were in the first leg but we will change a few little things.

“Obviously we’ve seen them play away from home and we’ve seen them play at home on video and they play a little bit different. We’ve spoken to people here and we’ve watched them a fair bit and I think we have a fair idea of what way they’ll play. The big emphasis for Shelbourne is to retain possession whenever they succeed in winning the ball. To give it up easily is to invite disaster against a team of Deportivo’s attacking capability.

Fenlon said: “I think everyone who has seen us in Europe this year will agree we’ve kept the ball quite well. People saw that at Lansdowne Road, we kept the ball as well as they did.

“It is a different game in Europe. It’s a bit more cagey and it’s not like a league game at home which can be 100 miles an hour at times. The players have to adapt to that and our players have adapted to that and that’s why we’re where we are today.”

Where Shelbourne are today is on the brink of historic success. On the one hand is Deportivo, a team of proven European pedigree, with an annual wage bill reportedly in the region of e30m and a turnover of more than €75m.

The comparative figures for Shelbourne are meaningless. What is very relevant, however, is the fact that Shelbourne took them on and matched them in every aspect of the game in the first leg in Dublin.

Shelbourne’s efforts to outwit Deportivo and achieve an unlikely success holds out the promise of a fascinating contest. So fascinating that further investigation of the historic and architectural treasures of this attractive corner of Spain must remain suspended until their fate is sealed.