Coyle hoping experience will see Glens through

THE last Sunday in September is still some way off but the luck of the European draw has produced an All Ireland final at the height of summer, with Glentoran playing host to Shelbourne in a Champions League qualifier at The Oval this evening (7pm).

However, Glentoran manager Roy Coyle is anxious that the fixture be seen in its proper perspective.

"The one thing we have to do is not get carried away," he said. "This is a European fixture, it is not North versus South, it is not the Setanta Cup. It's a European adventure, and we have got to apply ourselves the way we normally do for European football."

The point is well made since a meeting with Romanian kingpins Steaua Bucharest in the next round is at stake, as opposed to the domestic bragging rights and financial injection which went the way of Linfield following their victory over Shelbourne in the Setanta Cup.

Inevitably, Shels' heroics in Europe last year have meant that the bar is set unusually high for this campaign but, in the context of a season in which the champions have so far failed to live up to the highest expectations, tonight's game needs no historical comparison to inflate its importance.

"It's a massive game," says Shelbourne's Owen Heary. "I think it could be the turning point of our season. If we can get through, it's Steaua Bucharest and we can see what will happen with that. And if we get through it will also put off a lot of our league games which means we can get players fit and free from injury."

Injury problems, especially defensive ones, have blighted Shels' season so far but manager Pat Fenlon can report good news on that front.

Colin Hawkins has recovered from a calf problem, Richie Baker has a sore foot but should be okay and both Jim Crawford and Alan Reynolds are training, although the latter is unlikely to start.

Defender Dave Rogers should be able to shake off the effects of a neck injury but while midfielder Alan Moore is fit again, he may have to be content with a place on the bench.

"You don't want to make excuses but the injuries all seem to be in the one area," says Fenlon. "It's difficult when you have three or four out. I've looked at the other teams lately, like Longford and Derry, and they've probably had the same team for the last six weeks.

"We had that last year, and when you get on a run you develop an understanding. It would have been nice bringing in the new players into the club where we could have played one or two rather than three or four. So it's good to get them back."

The game's immediate proximity to July 12 raised some concerns about security, bu Fenlon doesn't expect any problems.

"I think that the genuine Linfield supporters who travelled to the Setanta Cup were the ones who travel every week," he says. "I've never had a problem with Glentoran I got plenty of verbal abuse but that goes on everywhere. But I never had a problem with them."

Glentoran boss Roy Coyle has travelled south twice to see Shels and knows what to expect.

"They are full-time and have a lot of quality in their side. But we have a vast amount of European experience and hopefully that will carry us through. Up front they have Crowe and Byrne who are both internationals and at the back they are tall and strong in the air.

"But it's a European tie and that is the way we have to approach it. We would love to travel to Dublin with a win but more importantly with Shelbourne not scoring at The Oval," he says.

Tonight's game is being shown live on RTÉ 2.