Kenny backs Twigg to end his European goal drought

Shamrock Rovers v FK EkranasSTEPHEN KENNY is confident Gary Twigg can end his scoring drought in Europe against FK Ekranas at Tallaght Stadium tonight.

With the Lithuanian champions unbeaten at home in their last five European games, the Shamrock Rovers manager will hope Twigg scoring can accompany a win to carry to Panevežys for the second leg next week as Rovers aspire to replicate last year’s historic run in Europe.

While Scot Twigg has scored 15 goals in the league this season – and has been the club’s top scorer in each of the last three seasons – he has failed to score in his 15 appearances in Europe.

Double winners in the last two years and champions four years running, Ekranas have dominated Lithuanian football in recent times.

They’ve lost just once in 19 games this season and are six points clear at the top of their league.

But due to financial difficulties at the club, Ekranas arrived in Dublin weakened by having lost their leading scorer, Andrius Velicka, along with fellow Lithuanian internationals, midfielders Mantas Savenas and Ramunas Radavicius, in their transfer window.

Yesterday, Kenny was keen to put Rovers’ inconsistent league form to one side and focus on the task in hand.

“This is a different competition, this is the Champions League,” said Kenny.

“Shamrock Rovers is a tremendous club and wants to represent Ireland well.

“The players have had a good deal of experience last season in Europe and we want that to have a positive effect tonight.

“Ekranas will push us all the way. They have some really good players who have played in a lot of big international games against top class opposition. So they won’t fear coming here.

“They’ve a lot of experience at the back and in midfield and some quick wide players and overlapping full-backs as well. They essentially play 4-3-3 with their fullbacks playing high and wide, very attacking.

“But we’re unbeaten at home all season and we want to remain unbeaten.

“We want to try to win the game, if we can.”

And that’s where Kenny hopes Twigg can come in.

“There is a lot of talk that [Twigg] hasn’t scored in Europe, but he is well capable of doing that. For whatever reason that hasn’t happened, but I’m backing him to come good [tonight] and do the business for us in European competition.

“They are the seeded team and are ranked higher than us. But we certainly don’t have an inferiority complex.

“We’d be looking to try to win the game.”

Captain Ken Oman will be fit to start despite the central defender sitting out training yesterday with a slight dead leg. Strikers Aaron Greene (knee) and Ciaran Kilduff (foot) remain out injured.

Ekranas’ respective Ivorian and Nigerian strikers, Adama Fofana and Uchenna Umeh, haven’t travelled due to injury. New signings defender Edvinas Girdvainis and striker Zilvinas Kymantas have been added to manager Valdas Urbonas’ squad.

“We simply don’t think about it, and we have enough quality players,” said Urbonas on the loss of his three key players.

“The reality is that the transfer window opened and three players left, a few went abroad and one stayed in Lithuania.

“This is the normal process and reality. We have two new players added to the squad and we think now it is right to introduce them to the team.”

SHAMROCK ROVERS(probable): Jansson; Sullivan, Sives, Oman, Powell; Rice, Finn; McCabe, Brennan, Dennehy; Twigg.