BOHEMIANS’ U19S HAVE today been drawn with PAOK in the first round of the Uefa Youth League. 

Having been crowned Airtricity League U19 champions for the second consecutive year, Craig Sexton’s side will face the Greek title-winners in the domestic champions path. 

The ties are scheduled to take place on 2 and 23 October.

“Travel-wise, it’s going to be a challenge for us,” said Sexton. “It’ll be a long way to go for the team but that will be part of the experience which this tournament offers and we’re looking forward to it.

“We don’t know too much about PAOK at the moment so we’ll do our homework on them. But, they’re a big name in European football and it’s great for everybody. It’s great for the club, players and the entire league that we’re represented in the competition.

“We’re going to get to test ourselves against the very best and it is a glamorous tie which will definitely get the lads excited and it’ll be another fantastic opportunity for them to play on the European stage.”

Last season, the Gypsies lost out 4-2 on aggregate to FC Midtjylland of Denmark in the the U19 equivalent of the Champions League. 

“We’ve got a number of players from last season who will still be eligible to play this season which is great,” the Bohs boss added. “It’s fantastic, it’s brilliant for the entire league.”

It’s not just about Bohemians, it’s about everyone in underage football in Ireland and that the league gets to have these experiences.

“We need to share what we’re doing as a league to benefit everybody across youth football and hopefully this is an experience we can bring back into the league which will benefit everybody.”