Longford v Carmarthen Flanclare Park (7.30)If they were hurt by the criticism received following their loss to a much better-than-perceived FC Vaduz last year, there can be no hiding place for Longford Town if they should fail to negotiate the much less considerable hurdle of Welsh league side Carmarthen Town in this season's Uefa Cup.

While Vaduz boasted up to eight Liechtenstein internationals - who, some weeks later, would hold Portugal to a 2-2 draw - and had come close to being promoted into the top division of the Swiss league, Carmarthen come to the midlands tonight with no such pedigree. The Welsh part-timers finished sixth in their league and qualified for the Uefa Cup courtesy of losing to champions TNS in the Welsh Cup final.

By general consensus, Longford have got the least daunting of the ties afforded National League clubs in Europe and it's an opportunity their longest serving player and goalkeeper Stephen O'Brien, in his final season with the club before retirement, fully appreciates.

"This is a great chance for the club to progress through a round in Europe," said O'Brien, one of the few players still at the club to have appeared in both their other European ties against Litex Lovech of Bulgaria in 2001 and Vaduz. "It's probably the best opportunity the club may get to do so and we must concentrate on achieving that. Last year was a bit of a disappointment as we didn't play well and do ourselves justice against Vaduz, particularly in the second leg."

Like O'Brien, right back Alan Murphy, another veteran of their previous two excursions in Europe, has no issue with the expectation that surrounds their prospects of getting through.

"The criticism (last year) was harsh, but we dusted ourselves down and got on with things. That experience should stand to us this year. We have to accept that there is a certain expectation right throughout our league now, which is a good sign that the league is progressing."

Having taken time out to watch Carmarthen twice last week, manager Alan Mathews has a fully fit squad which, a somewhat jaded display in drawing 1-1 at Bray Wanderers last Friday night aside, is in its best form of the season. "We're fit and ready," said Mathews. "We've done our homework and it's now down to simply going out, being patient and playing as well as we can."