Heary urges Shels to stay home

Shelbourne captain Owen Heary has urged the Irish club to play next week’s mouth-watering clash with Deportivo La Coruna at Tolka Park.

The Dubliners are still in a state of shock after booking a place in the Champions League third qualifying round with two late goals against Hajduk Split last night – the first time any Irish side has battled through two rounds of Europe’s premier competition.

The double strike from Dave Rogers and former Burnley player Alan Moore overturned a 3-2 first-leg deficit and confirmed the biggest night in Shels’ history as they await the arrival of last season’s semi-finalists.

Discussions about switching the game to Lansdowne Road have already been opened and Heary knows that with a potential crowd in excess of 25,000 for the Spaniards’ visit, a move to the national stadium makes economic sense.

But in pure football terms, the full-back would prefer to take on Depo at their own 11,000-capacity home, where he feels Shelbourne stand more chance of giving a decent account of themselves.

“I hope we can play at Tolka Park because we know the ground and we have done well there this season,” he said.

“I understand completely why the club would want to play the game at Lansdowne because they want to make the most of a night we probably won’t have again in another 20 years.

“But from a purely football perspective, playing at Lansdowne Road would be like an away match for us and would probably suit Deportivo, who are used to big stadiums.

“I’m not sure they would find Tolka Park quite as appealing, particularly when it is packed with fans.

"Either way, the club can’t lose.”

Cork City have already shown the way for Irish clubs this season, with an encouraging run to the third round of the Intertoto Cup, and Shelbourne’s exploits should see a significant rise in Ireland’s UEFA co-efficient, which should guarantee slightly easier draws over the next few years.

Heary believes the improvement is down to the controversial switch to summer football, which has meant Irish clubs have been fully match-fit for their early European ventures.

Shelbourne’s full-time status is also a significant plus and Heary, whose main hope for next week is to keep the tie alive ahead of the trip to Deportivo’s magnificent Riazor Stadium, hopes other Irish teams can follow their lead.

“Hopefully we have proved there is no need for Irish sides to be afraid of European opposition,” he said.

“We believed we could win last night, even though nobody really expected us to and the game plan worked to perfection.

“We have beaten a team from a significant footballing country and now we have a chance to play against one of the best in Europe.

“Deportivo have some world-class players and just to have this opportunity in front of us is a dream come true.”