Cork City (2) v FK Ekranas (0) Turner's Cross Kick-off: 7.30Six days after making his league debut for the club he joined three seasons ago, 24-year-old goalkeeper Mark McNulty will play his first European game for Cork City tonight as Damien Richardson's side looks to capitalise on a strong performance a fortnight ago against Lithuanian side Ekranas in the Uefa Cup second qualifying round.
Lithuanian coach Virginijus Liubsys went close to conceding that the tie was lost after City's 2-0 away win a fortnight ago, but stranger things have happened in European competition and an early goal from the likes of midfielder Mantas Savenas (21) or striker Vitalijus Kavaiauskas, who went close on a couple of occasions in the away leg, could make it a nervous night for the southerners.
"It is a slightly strange sort of lead," concedes City skipper Dan Murray as he prepares for the game. "If they do score then, to be fair, they're right back in it and we'll be left sort of hanging on, but if we get a goal then realistically we're firmly in control and it would be hard to see us losing it at that stage."
Murray feels that the Lithuanians were surprised by City's performance two weeks ago when goals from Roy O'Donovan and George O'Callaghan gave the Irish side a rare away win in European competition. O'Donovan's availability, after missing Friday's league win over Shamrock Rovers through suspension, is likely to prompt a change by Richardson to the team that started in Panevezys and despite the manager's tendency to meddle as little as possible with his line-ups, the problems caused by the young midfielder in the first leg would suggest that he will be back in from the outset this evening.
For Murray, though, the final team selection is less important than the momentum built up by a side that has lost just once in the league so far this season. "I think when a team is going well everybody sort of lifts their game because confidence is high," he says. "When that's the case the games just can't come quickly enough really."
McNulty watched in disbelief two weeks ago as, injured himself, coach Phil Harrington was forced into action after Michael Devine was stretchered off. "When I saw the doctor signalling that Michael was out of the game I just couldn't believe it," he says with a laugh now. "I was thinking, 'oh no, I've lost my chance after two and a half years here waiting for it'."
"When I came back home then I was told that it would be another two weeks at least before I was ready to play and it looked like the manager was going to bring somebody else in which was worrying but to be playing in this game now is unbelievable."
