Estonians to prove a real test for Drogheda

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Drogheda Utd v Levadia Tallinn:DROGHEDA UNITED have an opportunity this evening to blow away some of the clouds that have gathered over the League of Ireland of late with Paul Doolin's side making their Champions League debut at a time when financial difficulties have struck at several of the country's leading clubs.

His side's task at Dalymount Park, said Doolin yesterday, is to concentrate on their own progression regardless of what is happening elsewhere. But a win in this evening's first qualifying round first leg against Levadia Tallinn would put United on course for a meeting with Dynamo Kiev and provide a timely shot in the arm for the league in general.

Levadia go into the tie with a decent wind in their sails. While Drogheda have struggled to find some sort of consistency this season, the Estonians arrive off the back of four straight league wins during which they have scored no fewer than 15 times.

The run followed a 2-2 draw with their arch rivals Flora Tallinn who Levadia currently lead by a couple of points at the top of the table after 18 rounds of games back home.

United, who have virtually a full squad to choose from, go into the game as the seeded team but Levadia will clearly be tough opponents. More than half the first-choice players are Estonian internationals and their record in Europe over the last few seasons stands up rather well in comparison with anything achieved by an Irish side during the same period.

Since winning 3-1 here four years ago to dump Bohemians out of the Uefa Cup, they have stretched or beaten some highly respectable opponents, most notably on their run to the first round proper of that competition in 2006 when clubs from Finland and Holland were eliminated before the Estonians went out themselves to Newcastle United.

Last year they were only beaten on away goals by Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League second qualifying round and to judge by the demeanour yesterday of their sporting director Marko Kristal and skipper Marek Lemsalu, they probably quietly fancy their chances of making it at least that far again.

Asked about the impression he had taken home from a recent trip to Ireland when he saw United beat UCD, Kristal said that he had not seen anything "frightening" but had been a little "surprised by the way Drogheda played".

This, he confirmed to Doolin's unrestrained joy, was a polite way of saying that United produced more football than he had expected.

They will, Stuart Byrne, acknowledged yesterday, have to impress again this evening if they are to put themselves in a decent position to qualify with the former Shelbourne midfielder looking for United to display the sort of European nous that the Tolka Park outfit was just beginning to acquire when the financial rug was pulled from under the club.

"These games are totally different from your Friday night matches with the likes of Cork City when everything tends to be a bit helter-skelter," he said.

"Europe is about exerting a bit more control and retaining possession so we've got to show what we've learned from the last couple of seasons."

As hosts, he feels, there is an obligation on United to go out and try to win this evening but they must adopt a mindset more geared towards European success if they are to regain some of the upward momentum collectively lost by Irish clubs last season.

"I'd expect them to come here and play slightly differently to the way they will when they're back at home in the second game and we've got to be the same," he says.

"The reality is that we've got to look to win this game, we have to try to score while remembering that it's decided over two legs and how important it is not to concede. Then, in the away leg, we have to be a little bit more clever about retaining possession and perhaps most important of all over the two legs, we have to take our chances."

Byrne admits he would have expected more progress to have been made by league clubs in Europe since Shelbourne looked to be on the verge of a significant breakthrough a few seasons back.

"I'm not sure people really appreciate how important it is," he says. "The players are as guilty as anyone. But if we can't maintain a certain level then we're going to be in the doldrums, right back where we were 10 years ago."

Under Doolin, to be fair, United have yet to fall at the first European hurdle and it is unlikely to be just his club's supporters hoping that they can put themselves in a position to successfully maintain that run by winning this first leg tie this evening.