Shelbourne show little conviction

SOCCER/UEFA Cup qualifying round/Shelbourne 2; Vega Olimpija 3: Their hope may spring eternal but long-term observers won't need to be told Shelbourne's annual dose of European ambition has a habit of being rather short-lived, a trend that went unchanged last night at Tolka Park.

Slovenia's Olimpija slipped rather comfortably into today's draw for the first round of the UEFA Cup.

Having returned from their trip to Ljubljana only a goal in arrears, Shelbourne appeared to have good cause to believe they were still in with a shout of progressing a round for what would only have been the third time in their last 11 attempts.

Manager Pat Fenlon believed his side was capable of turning the tie around but warned they might be undone by their impatience to set about the task. As it turned out there wasn't time. Within eight minutes Nedim Jusufbegovic had scored to make it 2-0 on aggregate.

In a game they desperately wanted to win Shelbourne performed tamely. Although they could claim to have had the better of things in spells Olimpija were never threatened with becoming the first side to fall to Fenlon's men in a month.

The visitors gave their hosts a hard time in every area of the pitch but did particularly well at the back. A momentary lapse for Ollie Cahill's first-half equaliser aside, they more or less marked Jason Byrne into oblivion and obliged a lively Wes Hoolahan to drop back towards midfield in the hope of exerting some sort of influence on the proceedings.

In midfield the visitors knocked the ball around well, retained possession effectively and always looked capable of releasing their forwards. Up front, Marko Kmetec was a constant threat but it was the movement behind him of Jusufbegovic and Mladen Rudonja that posed the more menacing threat.

The Bosnian's early goal left Shelbourne needing three goals which was a tall order. The locals, however, did at least pull one back courtesy of Cahill on the quarter hour when Richie Baker got close to the corner flag on the right before floating a long ball towards the former Cork City man who was lurking at the far post.

The Dubliners then generated two fairly good chances with Baker's 20-metre shot deflected just wide after a mistake by Rudonja and then going close again with a curling strike.

In first-half injury time the Slovenians took their chance. Stuart Byrne was booked for a challenge on Rudonja in midfield and from the resulting free Fausto Budicin lofted the ball into the area where Kmetec knocked the ball down for Anton Zlogar to slot home.

Shelbourne retained their composure in the early stages of the second period, still prodding their opponents in the hope of uncovering some defensive weakness without over-committing themselves to the push for a goal.

Just 12 minutes in, however, their already faint hopes of a comeback were extinguished when Kmetec almost casually punished Kevin Doherty's error.

Matters only got worse for the hosts when their captain, Owen Heary, was carried off with what looked a serious ankle injury. Stephen Geoghegan then passed up a straightforward opportunity to restore some pride when he side-footed over an open goal from three or four yards.

Byrne did better when finishing from a Cahill cross in injury time to make it 2-3 but even that will have done little to lift a side who will know even their strong league position could evaporate unless they can put a dismal spell behind them.

SHELBOURNE: Williams; Heary (McCarthy, 80 mins), Doherty, Rogers, Crawford (Geoghegan, 57 mins); R Baker, S Byrne, Crawford, Cahill; J Byrne, Hoolahan.

VEGA OLIMPIJA: Navric; Handanagic, Lazic, Budicin (Mirtic, 85 mins); Aljancic, Kosic (Pokorn, 74 mins), Zlogar, Barun; Jusufbegovic, Rudonja; Kmetec (Ilic, 81 mins).

Referee: G Orrasson (Iceland).