Draw will suffice for Shels

Shelbourne need just a draw to progress to the second round of the Champions League when they face KR Reykjavik tomorrow night.

A stirring fightback in the final six minutes of last week’s game in Iceland earned the eircom League champions a 2-2 draw to give them the edge going into the second leg at Dublin’s Tolka Park.

A scoreless draw or a 1-1 draw will be enough for Shelbourne to progress and manager Pat Fenlon is confident his side have the quality to progress.

He said: “I think they (Reykjavik) are very similar to ourselves. There isn’t much difference between us and them.

“I think we would have better quality all round. They have three or four quality individuals but I think as a team we are better equipped to beat them.

“It can be apprehensive for the players going into the game against a team they don’t know.

“You do your best by showing them videos and preparing but now they’ve played against them, they now know they can win the game if they play on the night.”

But Shelbourne’s home record in Europe is disappointing. It is 11 games since they last won at home in European competition when they defeated Karpaty Lvov of the Ukraine in 1993.

Fenlon’s own managerial debut in Europe two years ago was against Hibernians of Malta when the side earned a credible 2-2 draw away only to slip up at home and be dumped out.

The manager continued: “I think that if you come away from any tie with two away goals and level, it’s a good result.

“But it’s like Hibernians where if we don’t do it at home, it will count for nothing.

“I think at the start you have to go out in a positive manner and try and win the match.

“But you can’t switch off at that level. We went to sleep twice at set-pieces and got punished.

“You can get away with that against some teams in the eircom League but not in Europe.”

Shelbourne’s goalscoring threat may be blunted by the news that striker Glen Fitzpatrick is a major doubt with a groin injury, while Ireland striker Jason Byrne has now gone five games without a goal.

Jim Crawford and Kevin Doherty are definitely ruled out.