Shelbourne survived a huge scare to come away with a 2-1 win against Gibraltar opposition St Joseph’s in the first round of their Euro Conference League campaign.
Mark Coyle got the Reds off to a dream start on their return to Europe after an 18-year absence. The Shelbourne skipper had the ball in the back of the net after just 27 seconds and looked like setting Damien Duff’s side up for a comfortable night.
However Shels, much to their manager’s frustration, began to get sloppy and Duff was clearly frustrated that his side failed to produce enough chances to kill off the tie ahead of the second leg in Gibraltar next week.
Dealing with the Gibraltar heat will be a concern for the former Irish international and something Shelbourne's league of Ireland rivals Derry City know all too well having been defeated 2-0 by Magpies in Gibraltar Thursday evening.
Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins has already been in touch with Duff about the pitch and heat in Gibraltar - after his side’s shock defeat.
When asked regarding the heat they face next week, Duff was quick to refer to Brian Kerr's unorthodox tactics when in charge of the Irish U-20 squad in 1997 as they prepared to take part in the World youth cup in Malaysia.
In an effort to acclimatise for the sweltering heat and humidity that lay in store, the players donned the full training kit, complete with rain gear, to the saunas.
Will the Shels Boss be employing some unorthodox methods to deal with the Gibraltar heat next week 😅#LOI | 📽️ @shelsfc pic.twitter.com/JYswsInIa4
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) July 12, 2024
Kerr's unusual method's to prepare the players for the demanding conditions obviously had a positive effect as they surprised the football world with a third-place finish in the Youth World Cup in Malaysia.
SEE ALSO: Heimir Hallgrímsson Explains Why He Can Bring This Ireland Team To The Next Level
Shels in Europe
Duff may need to adopt similar methods in getting his Shels team ready for battle but confirmed they will be training on an astro and adopting their own gameplan ahead of the 2nd leg.
Duff alluded to the nervousness felt by fans during the match telling Shelbourne's Youtube channel:
“Would we have taken this before kick-off? absolutely. The boys were brilliant and they should be really proud of themselves. You could smell the tension on set-pieces, they are a massive threat"
The tie remains in the balance and Shelbourne’s job is only half done heading to Victoria Stadium for the return leg.
