O'Donnell hoping fitness levels will get them over the line in Europe

Dundalk FC are back in Europe later this evening as they take on Gibraltar Cup champions FCB Magpies in Victoria Stadium (Kick off 5PM Irish time) in first round of the Europa Conference League.

Played on a pitch that is beside an airport runway and in the shadow of the famous Rock of Gibraltar, this will be one of the more unique footballing experiences for fans, players and coaches alike.

Having tasted some great European days, both with the Lilywhites and with Shamrock Rovers, during his playing days, Dundalk Head Coach Stephen O’Donnell is looking forward to seeing what it is like to experience European football from the sidelines.  

“When it was this time last year and we were playing domestically, seeing other Irish teams in Europe, you were saying to yourselves that hopefully this time next year we are going to be one of those teams, so it great to back” exclaimed O’Donnell when speaking to the Democrat.

“I have more responsibility now then just being one of the players. I’ve gotten two teams into Europe over the last couple of seasons, but this is the first time myself and Patrick Cregg get to bare the fruits of coaching a team in it. I’m looking forward to it, hopefully there will be a few more ties to come.”

While a run in Europe is what any fan of an Irish club dreams of when the summer rolls round, the financial benefits of getting to the latter stages of the competition is sometimes forgotten about.

Success in the first qualifying round against Magpies would guarantee Dundalk a prize of €350,000; the same against Connah’s Quay or KA, the Lilywhites potential next opponents, would net €550,000.

The Galwegian is aware of these figures, but it will not affect his approach to the tie. He will look at this fixture the exact same way he has looked at every game in his career and keep things as simple as possible.

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“I always treat the games the same way, even when I was playing. It is a game of football and no matter what, you always want to beat your opponent. That is the way I treat games, by very much simplifying it and saying we have two 90-minute opportunities to try and come out on top.

“I think it is going to be very difficult. The Red Imps (Gibraltar League champions) game against Qarabag, in the Champions League earlier this week, saw them losing on the last kick of the game, 2-1. If that is anything to go by, it will be a very tough game for us over the two legs.”

Both teams are at very different stages of their seasons. The Lilywhites are of course in the middle of the league and have pretty much already built the side which will compete for the rest of the year.

Meanwhile the Magpies are only just into their pre-season, having only played a single game so far, a friendly against Preston North End. They have 10 new players on their books, plus a new head coach in Alfonso Cortijo, a former full-back for Spanish side Sevilla.

It leaves the coaching staff at Dundalk with very little work with, in terms of analysing the opposition. But they are hopeful their match fitness and sharpness will play a factor, while admitting at the very least today’s game will help them know what to expect come the second leg in Oriel Park.

“The positives of playing through the Summer is you are fit, the negatives from our point of view is they have access to all our games this season and what we are going to bring to the table” explained O’Donnell.

“The negative for them is they are in pre-season and the positive is we don’t know what team is going to play or what personnel they will have. They played a certain shape last week (against Preston), will they play it again or maybe change it up? It is very hard for us to get a gauge of them.

“But we are fully clear on how we want to go about it, in and out of possession. We will go with that in game and throughout the course of the first leg we will get a better feel for the opposition.”

As always, a large travelling support are set to make the trip to Gibraltar to watch the Lilywhites return to Europe. Given the small stadium and the number of teams in one area, it is even possible the away fans could outnumber the home support.

The Dundalk Head Coach has called on them to make their voices heard, as it could be the 12th man that gets them over the line and helps bring a win back to Oriel ahead of the second leg next week.

We are going to need them” admitted O’Donnell.

“You cannot underestimate the extra bit of impetus and physical output that a cheer or encouragement can give a player when they are down on the pitch or are maybe fatiguing a little bit.

"Going off the crowd at the Red Imps game, I would say it will be 50/50 job. There seemed to be about 800-900 people there and there was no Qarabag supporters, they were all local fans.

“So, if we bring 300-400, I’d say we will be close to their support, which is very rare for an away game in Europe. We are looking forward to that and hearing familiar voices and seeing familiar faces, along with plenty of encouragement.”