Old Firm pair to play Dublin sides

The National League's annual pre-season friendly circuit became decidedly over shadowed yesterday when Irish clubs St Patrick's Athletic and Shelbourne drew Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers in the preliminary rounds of their respective European competitions. In the Cup Winners' Cup, Cork City will take on CSKA Kiev of the Ukraine.

In financial terms the draws represent a huge boost to the two Dublin outfits, with each of the Scottish sides sure to bring many supporters from Glasgow as well as attracting considerable backing from fans in Ireland.

The first legs of the ties will take place tomorrow fortnight when Rangers play their UEFA Cup first qualifying round game at Tolka Park and St Patrick's head for Celtic Park. Both Irish clubs had been drawn to play away in the first legs but, after negotiations between the four clubs in Geneva yesterday, it was agreed that Shelbourne and Rangers would reverse their fixtures.

The Dublin leg of that game is sure to take place at Tolka Park but there is much less certainty about the venue for Celtic's visit the following week. Club spokesman Gary Branigan said yesterday that "our priority is to play the game at Richmond Park and we're currently looking at the possibility of bringing in temporary seating but there are also other options and we will considering everything over the next few days".

Top of the options list will be moving the game to Lansdowne Road or Tolka Park. The appeal, after a number of disappointing friendly appearances here in recent years, of Celtic playing a competitive game in Ireland would, on the face of it, appear to warrant a switch to Ballsbridge but such a move would have the effect of turning a sure-fire moneyspinner into something of a gamble, with a full house there producing a substantial payday for the Dubliners but a low turnout turning the whole thing into a potentially costly outing for the National League champions.

A safer, though less lucrative, option would be Tolka, which, with almost 10,000 seats, would enable Pat Dolan's side to generate considerably more revenue without the enormous rent for the IRFU's ground.

Either way, a move seems certain because, however strong the club's desire to play the game at home in Inchicore, there are only 2,000 seats at Richmond Park and under current UEFA rules 80 per cent of capacity for preliminary round games must be seated.

Whatever about the clubs' prospects of doing well financially, their chances of qualifying for the following rounds have certainly been dented by these draws.

"People keep talking about the money side of it but basically our aim is to win some games in Europe and this is going to make it any easier to achieve that target," said Branigan.

Acting Shelbourne boss Mick Neville, who is expected to become assistant at the club to Dermot Keely over the next couple of days, was upbeat.

"It's a fantastic draw for the club, one you dream about. It makes a change for us from places like Iceland and the Ukraine and we'll all be really looking forward to playing at Ibrox."

Representatives of both Scottish clubs yesterday expressed satisfaction with the draw. Jock Brown expressing guarded confidence that Celtic would earn a second-round clash against a Croatia Zagreb side that includes six of the current Croatian World Cup squad and Rangers manager Dick Advocaat, while admitting that he knew nothing at all about Shelbourne, said it appeared to be a favourable draw.

The Tolka Park match will be Advocaat's first competitive outing with his new club and signings, including Argentinian born Gabriel Amato and Dutch international Giovanni van Bronckhorst, may make their debuts.

The Scots appear to have good reason to be confident. The record of National League clubs in Europe in recent years has been a good deal short of inspiring and neither Rangers nor Celtic have been beaten in their past three visits to the Republic.

Shelbourne, on the other hand, did go close to eliminating Kilmarnock from the Cup Winners' Cup last season and Rangers and Celtic have suffered scares against National League opposition. Rangers defeated Bohemians 4-3 in 1984 when the Dalymount Park game was marred by violence and Celtic almost lost on away goals to Dundalk in 1979, when a late miss in Parkhead cost the Louth club a place in the quarter-finals of the European Cup.

Cork City, meanwhile, have been given the sort of draw to which Irish clubs have become accustomed. On August 12th they take on CSKA Kiev in Cork in the preliminary round of the Cup Winners' Cup, with the return leg two weeks later.

CSKA have been no match for derby giants Dynamo since Ukrainian clubs broke away from the old Soviet League in the early '90s. But with several players boasting senior and under-age international experience, they are certain to prove tough opponents for Dave Barry's side.