Europa Conference League
First qualifying round, first leg
F91 Dudelange v St Patrick’s Athletic
Stade Jos Nosbaum, 6:30pm, kick-off (Irish time)
Jon Daly has only been in the St Pat’s hot seat for 12 games, but he is already thinking of how important tonight’s Europa Conference League first-round qualifier could be for his medium-term vision for the club.
The former Rangers striker was assistant to Tim Clancy as the Saints took on NS Mura and CSKA Sofia in this competition last year, but is now preparing his in-form side to put together a similar European run starting against Luxembourg’s F91 Dudelange.
A win in this round could bring in the region of €550,000 for the club. While that money is important, Daly is also conscious of the pull factor sustained European qualification can have when recruiting players in an ever-competitive market.
“It’s obviously important in a financial sense for the club,” said Daly prior to his final training session at Dudelange’s hill-top ground yesterday evening.
“It’s important for being able to recruit the players we want. Players want to play in the biggest games and this is going to be a massive game. And we want more of that.”
With Dudelange only starting pre-season, the Saints can expect to be sharper out of the blocks. That said, there is always an element of pressure in Europe. And that is made no easier for Daly given the unknown element to Dudelange’s current derivative.
Former Shelbourne player Jamath Shoffner will be taking charge of the club for his first competitive game in management. And with recent footage hard to come by, the American’s style is practically unknown to the Saints’ backroom team, as are a lot of his new recruits.
While Dudelange’s previous appearances in the Europa League group stages (2018/19 and 2019/20) may indicate European prowess, their recent fortunes could more accurately be described as mixed.
Footballing ability
In 2015, UCD beat them in Europa League qualifying, while Bohemians came out ahead 4-0 on aggregate during 2021′s Conference League qualifying round.
Shoffner, for his part, seems to know more about the Saints than they do of him. Speaking in his pre-match press conference he highlighted St Pat’s footballing ability, an evolution from “the kick-and-rush” he saw during his short spell in the League of Ireland during 2002.
Daly, meanwhile, has flagged danger man Samir Hadji, who scored 23 times last season. Beyond that the Saints players will seek to scope out their opponents on the pitch.
That’s not something at which midfielder Chris Forrester will baulk. “You have to go into these games with a little element of the unknown,” said the 30-year-old. “I’m not sure how much information they will have on us, but the information we have got is good. Tactically, everything we have been doing during the week has been top class.”
