Preparation easier for second leg, says St Patrick's Athletic boss Jon Daly

UEFA Europa Conference League (first qualifying round, second leg) 

St Patrick's Athletic (1) v F91 Dudelange (2) 

Richmond Park (7.45pm) 

Their Luxembourg opponents being out of season, St Patrick’s Athletic manager Jon Daly admits to having been somewhat unprepared for what they faced against F91 Dudelange in the grand duchy last week.

Having lost that first leg 2-1, though in a far better position than they might have been thanks to Mark Doyle’s goal three minutes into stoppage time, that is not now the case ahead of the return at Richmond Park on Thursday night.

Added positivity stems from not only St Patrick’s having the best home form in the Premier Division this season, but in a respectable home record in Europe.

Ten continental teams have been beaten in Inchicore over the years, with St Patrick’s progressing through to the next round on nine of those occasions.

“We felt like we left a lot on the pitch,” said Daly of the first leg.

“We were a bit deflated, but the goal gives you renewed optimism you can come here, where we've got a really good record, and get the result we need.

“Performance wise we were very disappointed with what we did and how we played but, again, there's many reasons for that. One of them obviously being the fact we'd seen absolutely zero footage of them prior to the game.

“Any coach will tell you how difficult it is to prepare when you have footage, never mind how difficult it can be when you don't. That was the toughest part. We're well prepared for the second leg.” 

Set for his 17th appearance in Europe, captain Chris Forrester also harbours quiet optimism, if fully accepting they’ll need an improved performance on last week to win through.

“They are a decent team, although we let