Fenlon unfazed by task ahead

Shelbourne's hotel here is La Coruna; like the city's main square and much else around the place, it is named in honour of Maria Pita, a young woman who, legend has it, averted disaster by raising the alarm when Francis Drake attempted a surprise attack on the place with a fleet of 30 ships more than 400 years ago.

At every turn, it seems, the local population is reminded of how important it is to remain vigilant, even against assaults from forces that might initially appear comfortably inferior.

With the talent at his disposal commanding an annual wage bill of some €30 million, complacency would, on the face of it, appear to be the most potent threat to Deportivo coach Javier Irureta.

Even with a couple of his bigger names still sidelined through injury, the star-studded squad he guided to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season are in a strong position to build on the scoreless draw in Dublin and secure their place in the group stages again tomorrow evening at their Riazor stadium.

The lack of an away goal makes the situation more than a little uncertain for the Spaniards, however, and the pressure going into the return leg, as Pat Fenlon and a number of his players were quick to point out yesterday, is very much on a home side whose coach would almost certainly pay a high price if he or his players are caught napping tomorrow.

Fenlon as a player made quite a few trips like this when the tie was already decided and there was only some small measure of pride to play for in the second leg, and is keenly aware how much a positive result would mean tomorrow evening - not just for Shelbourne but for the league back home as a whole.

"It would be great for the game in Ireland," he said yesterday, "an historic breakthrough. But that's not really something that I can afford to sit around thinking about just now. What I have to do is think about how we can do it and that's something we have worked on very hard over the past few weeks."

His scheming will be helped by the fact Jason Byrne and Stuart Byrne (knee and thigh problems) respectively have resumed training and both are now expected to start tomorrow's game while Jamie Harris, a significant influence on the team success in recent games, is Fenlon's only doubt after picking up a slight throat infection.

The return to fitness in recent weeks of Kevin Doherty at least means there is a replacement on hand should the former St Patrick's Athletic man need to sit the game out but the reality is Harris will almost certainly be declared fit today, allowing the coach to name an unchanged back four.

Elsewhere, things are likely to be much as they were in the home leg with Alan Moore and Wes Hoolahan returning to the starting line up after being rested for Thursday's FAI Cup draw against Derry and the only likely change is the replacement of Glen Fitzpatrick up front with Jason Byrne, whose place on the right would in turn be taken by Joseph Ndo.

"Without giving too much of the game away," said Fenlon yesterday, "we'll be a little different from the way we were in the games against Cork and Derry. The different demands of these sort of games mean you have to switch things around a bit but we've played well in all of our European matches so it won't be hugely different from what we've been doing so far."

Having narrowed the pitch at Lansdowne Road to help keep the game tight in Dublin, Fenlon is aware that, first of all, they have to set about containing the Spaniards. Then, if the Irish side are to truly entertain thoughts of causing an upset, they face the tall order of scoring at the Riazor.

"If we can do what we've done in our previous games, keep possession, pass the ball well and frustrate our opponents, then we're in with a chance," he says. "However, we don't know what way they'll approach the game but the most important thing initially is that we're ready for them whether they look to wear us down gradually or give it a real go from early on."

Neither he nor his players seem fazed by the prospect of changing things tactically again for this game. "We have a good enough squad to deal with that sort of thing, so it's not a major concern really," says centre back Dave Rogers, the hero of the home leg against Hajduk Split. "Their tactics aren't a problem either, really, we know how to adapt but the quality of player you're playing against is just completely different to what you're used to and that takes a bit of getting used to.

"These are nearly all internationals, real quality," he adds. "But you're only as good in a game as you're allowed to be and it's our job to go out there and make sure they don't get to play this game the way they want to."