Rovers must rise to another big occasion

ANOTHER big European night in Tallaght this evening, and all at Shamrock Rovers will be hoping it’s not the last of an already pulsating season for the club beyond the relative comfort zone of the League of Ireland.

Having failed to make the big breakthrough in the Champions League, the group stages of the Europa League now beckon for the Hoops but standing in their way is yet more formidable opposition in the form of Partizan Belgrade, a storied club who have won the last four leagues in succession in Serbia and, last season, reached the group stages of the Champions League.

“We’ve learned with each game we’ve played in Europe,” said Rovers boss Michael O’Neill, “and we have to draw on them now for experience. I think the key tonight is not to concede a goal, and to try and score.”

O’Neill watched Partizan open their latest domestic campaign with a 5-0 win at the weekend and regards them as a more threatening than the FC Copenhagen side which ended Rovers’ interest in the Champions League. “I felt they were technically better in the middle of the park, and probably more adventurous than Copenhagen,’’ O’Neill said.

Keeping an eye on Partizan skipper midfield mainman, Sasa Ilic, as well as helping to screen his own back four, will mean another demanding test this evening for Conor McCormack, whose outstanding form for the Hoops has just seen him named the Airtricity/SWAI Player of the Month.

Dundalk native McCormack was on the books of Manchester United as a teenager before he spent two and a half years in Italy with Triestina. Tonight, another big performance will only enhance his growing reputation.

For centre-half Dan Murray, it’s all about maximising chances and minimising error if Rovers are to have any chance of upsetting the odds over the two legs.

“That’s the biggest difference between our league and these games – concentration has to be 110% the whole game in Europe,” said the former Cork City man.

“Whereas, you don’t like to say it, but sometimes your concentration can be a little bit off in the league here and you can get away with it. In Europe, especially against the quality of teams we’ve played, you get punished.”

For the home side, Ken Oman remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Stephen O’Donnell (hamstring) and Dean Kelly (groin) have also been ruled out of the game through injury. There are slight doubts over Ronan Finn (groin), and Enda Stevens (ankle). Good news for Michael O’Neill is that Zvonimir Vukic, a player he identified as a “classic number ten” misses tonight’s game for Partizan through suspension, while there is also a fitness doubt over striker Eduardo.

Nevertheless, Partisan manager Aleksandar Stanojevic arrived with his team in Tallaght Stadium at teatime yesterday, expressing full confidence that, over the two legs, his side will live up to their billing as favourites.

“Shamrock Rovers are an aggressive and disciplined team,” he said, “and they also have home advantage so a draw would be a good result for us here. But I still think we are favourites to progress to the group stages of the Europa League.’’

Tonight’s game kicks off at 7.45pm and is live on RTÉ 2.