Bohemians head to Hungary faced with a daunting task

Europa League first qualifying round: MOL Fehérvár (Hungary) v Bohemians, Thursday August 27th 2020 (kick-off 5.30pm)

The fact Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a Fehérvár fan might have just upped the ante for a few of the Bohemians travelling party head of Thursday night’s Europa League tie, but the way that political support has helped the club financially has only added to challenge faced by the Irish side.

Though nothing like the power it once was in the European game, Hungarian football has had a friend in Orbán through the past decade with his government providing increased public funding and incentives to firms from the commercial sector willing to lend a helping hand.

Fossil fuel multinational MOL is a major backer of the club these days but it has also long been closely associated with the country’s industrial giant Videoton, so closely and so long that that was their name when it reached the Uefa Cup final back in 1985 when they lost to Real Madrid.

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The strength of the team reflects that financial backing. Thirteen full internationals are listed in the squad of recently-appointed manager Gábor Márton, who himself made more than a dozen appearances for his country back in the early 90s. There are the seemingly mandatory couple of Brazilians too, one of whom, Evandro, scored three times in five Under-20 appearances.

It does not seem entirely like mind games when Keith Long suggests that his players are going to have their "work cut out" in this afternoon's game (kick-off 5.30pm, livestream available at stream.bohemians.ie, priced €10).

“We didn’t get to watch them live in the flesh but we’ve got the last two league games (both of which have been drawn, 3-3 then 1-1). We’ve got a little bit on them but it can be difficult because you’re looking at the games onscreen. We can’t replicate the conditions, the humidity, the heat, the temperature or even the size of the pitch.

“When you are looking at video footage, it can be hard to gauge the intensity and the pace of the game but you can take it that they play in a strong league and they are a lot higher up the Euro club index than we are, there are 250 places between us so we are very much the underdogs.

“Technically,” he continues, “they are going to be very good. In the games we have seen, they have dominated the ball for long periods. They’ve conceded some goals from set plays and basic errors but I’d say that’s maybe more rustiness as opposed to anything else. They have got pace throughout the team which becomes more apparent as you step up the levels.

“It’s something we don’t necessarily face all the time here and that’s something you have to be wary of obviously.”

Perhaps Long and his players have little to lose then, but they still might feel they are capable of springing a surprise given their own recent form, with five straight wins taking them to within two points of Shamrock Rovers at the top of the table.

Over the course of the run they have scored eight times and conceded just one and the only real concern to come out of Saturday’s defeat of St Patrick’s Athletic was that they only put away half of the very clear cut chances they created. Without the option of taking the tie back to Dublin they might need to be more ruthless on this occasion.

“It’s a one game affair and it’s difficult,” says Long, who has everyone available to him, “but we’ll give it a right go. We’re not going over there to sit in, to hold on. We’re going there to implement our game-plan, try and hurt them in areas we feel that we can expose them.”