SHELBOURNE MANAGER NOEL King has a full deck to choose from, with no injury concerns to report ahead of their Uefa Women’s Champions League Round One semi-final tomorrow.
Shels face Slovenian side ZNK Pomurje at the Fazanerija Stadium in Murska Sobota [4.30pm Irish time, live stream on nzs.si], with temperatures of up to 35 degrees forecast for kick-off.
“No doubts. The big doubt is selection,” King said in a Shelbourne in-house video from the team’s base in Radenci this afternoon.
“A few people have little knocks but nobody’s going to be stopped from playing in this, everybody wants to be part of it. They have been so far, very co-operative. There’s a great spirit amongst the group, it’s trying to maintain that spirit on the pitch in difficult circumstances and against a team who are accustomed to qualifying every year. It’s a challenge in itself.”
𝗡𝗼𝗲𝗹 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 🗣
— Shelbourne FC (@shelsfc) August 17, 2022
🤕 - Team News
🆚 - Opposition analysis
☀️ - Coping with the conditions @UWCL #DublinsFinest | #Since1895 pic.twitter.com/VHDuqoJhoV
A tough task lies ahead for the Tolka Park outfit, the only Irish side to qualify for the competition as 2021 Women’s National League champions.
Pomurje have reached the knockout stages twice in the past seven years, while only two Irish sides have ever done so: Peamount United in 2011 and Raheny United — who amalgamated as Shelbourne — in 2014, with Wexford Youths the only other club to fly the flag in the competition since the inception of the WNL 11 years ago.
A win over Pomurje would see Shels do battle for a last-32 berth against either Valur (Iceland) or FC Hayasa (Armenia) in Sunday’s Round One final.
King is feeling optimistic, his side settled in and ready for action after an up-and-down few weeks domestically.
“It’s going well. Long, long journey, over 12 hours coming out yesterday makes it very difficult to get going again but the girls have had their food, they’re resting now and they’re trying to recuperate as quickly as they possibly can.
“Later on this evening, we’ll have a training session, something mild. We’ll talk about the game tonight and there’ll be nothing else in our mind other than the match and how we can progress into the final.”
𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨 ℹ️
— Shelbourne FC (@shelsfc) August 17, 2022
⚽️ | ZNK Pomurje
🗓 | 18th August 2022
⏰ | KO 4:30pm (Irish Time)
📍 | Fazanerija Stadium
📺 | LIVE stream will be available on https://t.co/Lx9jQ4rciy#DublinsFinest | #Since1895 pic.twitter.com/ovzu0ybwRI
“They have good points, they have strengths, they have some good individual players, but they also have weaknesses,” he added on tomorrow’s opposition. “I think we’ll be competitive. If we can survive the heat thing, we’ll be very competitive I hope.”
The former Republic of Ireland women and U21 men manager says the presence of travelling Reds fans is “a boost” as they gear up to represent their country on the big stage.
“You know when you’re out there playing and you see groups, the Irish flags, the Shelbourne flag, that definitely gives players a boost and encourages them to keep going in what will definitely be difficult circumstances and difficult opponents.
“Hopefully we can stretch them, and hopefully we can go and win the game. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a long time since I had my first European campaign, let me tell you, but that’s for another day!”
