Shels to fulfill FAI Cup fixture

Shelbourne’s Carlsberg FAI Cup second round tie with Finn Harps will go ahead as scheduled tomorrow night (7.45pm) following talks between the club and FAI chief executive Fran Rooney.

Shelbourne will play the fourth of five games in three different competitions over a 15-day period when they take on the eircom League first division side at Tolka Park tomorrow night and club secretary Ollie Byrne met with Rooney in a bid to iron out the fixtures logjam.

Shels emerged from their Champions League first qualifying round second leg tie with KR Reykjavik on Wednesday night with an away goals victory that puts them into a second round match-up with Croatian champions Hajduk Split in the Balkan state this coming Wednesday.

But the meeting saw Rooney and Byrne agree to press ahead with Shels' domestic cup commitment on the scheduled date, according to an FAI statement.

"The Football Association of Ireland wishes to provide whatever support is necessary for our clubs to succeed in European competition. We welcome the co-operation of Shelbourne FC to ensure that tomorrow's game proceeded,” Rooney said in the statement.

The FAI CEO added that he would be looking into ways to avoid such problems in the future.

"I am conscious of the burden that participating in Europe is placing on the fixture schedule of our clubs. It is an essential part of our plans to develop football that our slubs continue to perform well and advance in European competition and fulfil our domestic fixtures.

"To assist this objective as far as possible I am establishing a review of how European, eircom League and Cup fixtures are structured and how best we can further aid our clubs to progress on the international stage."

There was further bad news for Shelbourne's secretary Byrne today when he was fined €50 and cautioned as to his future conduct having been reported by the referee following the match against Shamrock Rovers on July 2.