Sligo begin Euro adventure

BARELY a month has elapsed since Barcelona beat Manchester United in the final of the Champions League in Rome and, already, the new season in Europe is upon us.

For Sligo Rovers, however, the wait has been much longer. But finally tonight, after an absence of 12 years, the Bit O’ Red return to European competition when they take on the little-known Albanian side KS Vllaznia Shkoder in the first qualifying round of the Europa League at the Showgrounds (7pm).

The setting might be a world away from the Stadio Olimpico but, with the reward of a meeting with the famous Austrian club Rapid Vienna in the next round up for grabs, Rovers boss Paul Cook is entitled to dream of greater things.

“We’re not saying we’re going to play them, we’re not being big headed,” he says. “All you’re saying is ‘I’ve got a dream here’.”

Although they go into the match on the back of 2-0 defeat to Bohemians in the league — hardly a surprise, given how seriously depleted Sligo were for that game — Paul Cook’s slimline squad has already shown it can punch above its weight by dumping Cork City out of the FAI Ford Cup, and they will be further boosted by the fact that in-form striker and the goal hero against Cork, Rafael Cretaro, returns tonight. Romauld Boca, who was away on international duty with Benin for the Bohs game, is also back, as is Danny Ventre, but Shaun Holmes and Gavin Peers are both rated doubtful.

The visitors tonight have scarcely made waves outside their homeland. Nine times champions in Albania, they won their last title as far back as 2001 — and were just pipped at the post in the final game of this year’s campaign by KF Tirana — but did succeed in landing the cup in 2008. Europe has provided little in the way of memorable highlights for Vllanznia Shkoder — last season, having beaten FC Koper of Slovenia in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup, they were promptly hammered 8-0 on aggregate by Napoli in the next round.