Valletta (1) v St Patrick's Ath (1):IN THE midst of a testing transitional season St Patrick's Athletic will be especially eager to make a positive statement in the scorching heat of Malta this afternoon.
Valletta gleaned a draw at Richmond Park and with an away goal pocketed they are determined to close the deal in front of a passionate home audience. The Saints need to score which adds to the Dubliners’ difficult task.
Manager Jeff Kenna remains defiant, though, and insists his team can deliver under duress to earn a tie with Russian side Krylya Sovetov. “We are really looking forward to it, and I am excited about the game. I thought we played very well in the first half of the first leg. I’ve watched the video a few times, we didn’t play as badly in the second half as I initially thought. We played well overall and we created chances and there is no reason why we cannot do that over here too.”
Though St Patrick’s have lost three of their last four League matches this European tussle offers an ideal opportunity to inject hope back into the system according to Kenna. “I think a win here would give us a huge boost. Our form has been patchy over the season so far, a win at any stage of any season is welcome – it leads to confidence.”
St Patrick’s must score to have a chance of progressing, and with Declan O’Brien, who capped a promising debut with a goal last week, spearheading the attack there is cause for optimism.
“They obviously have the away goal, but I am very confident we can score which changes the whole perspective of the game. Even if we go a goal down which we obviously don’t plan, we have to score anyway. They have a slight advantage, but we definitely have a chance,” added Kenna.
