With Dundalk having thrown down a marker with their away win in Luxembourg on Tuesday, John Coleman believes his Sligo Rovers side has the quality to take the game to FK Banga in Lithuania this evening.
Though Banga has played in Europe just once before, and lie seventh in the country’s A Lyga, Sligo are keen to improve on their poor European record which has seen them fail to win any of the eight games they’ve played over the last four seasons as they’ve exited at the first hurdle.
“We’ve prepared right and the journey wasn’t as bad as I anticipated,” said Coleman. “It’s gone quite smoothly and the players are nice and relaxed . . . we’ve come here to try to win the game.”
Coleman added that the tie represented a “big opportunity,” for Sligo to improve their record in Europe, which stands at one win from 18 games.
“It’s my first journey into Europe and I’m relishing the prospect. I’ve tried to be successful in everything I’ve taken on. Rovers is no different and hopefully we can get a positive result and bring that on to the Showgrounds [next] Thursday,” said the manager, who is without injured quartet, Kalen Spillane, Gavin Peers, Jeff Henderson and Joseph Ndo.
The draw also appears kind to Derry City who face Aberystwyth Town in their first leg at the Brandywell. Derry manager Peter Hutton watched his side’s opponents – who finished seventh in the Welsh Premier League last season and qualified for Europe as beaten cup finalists – lose 6-3 to TNS in a friendly last week. “They’re a big, physical side and they have a few goal threats,” said Hutton, who awaits Uefa clearance to allow new signing Philip Lowry to make the bench.
“I believe we have the players who can hurt them. With a vociferous support behind us, I’d be confident that we can secure the result we need to take into the second leg in Wales next Thursday night,” he said.
