More home help for Hoops as Dons boss relishes Euro night
has helped me in my career, it is a proud moment.
“Noel is someone I always looked up to and how he handled himself. He was the greatest of us all, I don’t think there’s any argument about that.
“I was privileged and honoured to play alongside him for as long as I did and he taught me a lot. Noel sent me a message of congratulations, but we all know the type of person he is, so it didn’t surprise me at all.
“Last year was the big standout occasion for me with that long (European) run we went on. It was something we wouldn’t have imagined happening, but the whole package was something very special.
“My debut in Europe was Halmstads in 2005 and my first away trip was when Oran Kearney scored over there in Sweden. I was a young boy and new to the whole life of Linfield but that trip gave me the hunger to continue to be involved.
“I’m 10 games away from 600 and that would be something I’d be very proud of. Tuesday night is very important and it’s one we all want to win.
“We have a big squad who are capable of being successful and we are all fighting for places. Hopefully, I can stay in the team to reach that milestone quickly.”
Mulgrew insists his boys must show patience in the heat of Nyon — just like they did on Saturday.
He adds: “The conditions were very, very tough. You probably don’t realise it until you’re out here and feel the heat. Obviously with the conditions and such a long break with the whole lockdown period, it’s something we’re not used to ourselves.
“It was our first real competitive match in such a long time, but I thought our fitness levels and performance were very, very good.
“We’re certainly going to get better in all aspects of our game but, considering the conditions and everything at stake, I thought we performed to a very good level.
“We knew Tre Fiori would be hard to break down but, as always, we believe in the way we play and how the manager wants us to play. We kept doing the right things and we got our rewards in the end.
“We probably should have scored before we did and their keeper made a couple of great saves, one in particular for Kirk (Millar) but we would have taken 2-0.
“Christy hasn’t been with us that long, but all the new boys have settled in quickly and are showing the qualities they possess and are showing why the manager wanted them at the club. We have a strong squad to deal with the amount of games we have.”
Should the Blues negotiate tonight’s game and manage to subsequently defeat Polish giants Legia Warsaw next week, they would have home advantage against Ararat-armenia or Omonia Nicosia in the second qualifying stage.
CELTIC have been drawn at home again in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
Neil Lennon’s side are on track to host Hungarian champions Ferencvaros or Swedish title winners Djurgardens.
Celtic were drawn at home against KR Reykjavik on Sunday for their opening qualifier.
That game is due to take place on August 18/19 in Glasgow but there is still a possibility the fixture could be staged at a neutral venue, if the Icelandic side have any Covid-19-related obstacles getting to Scotland.
The second qualifying round takes place the following week.
In the Europa League, Derek Mcinnes is glad that Aberdeen will start their campaign at Pittodrie.
The Dons were drawn at home against Faroese outfit NSI Runavik, who were eliminated by
Ballymena United last year, or Wales’ Barry Town United — thrashed by Cliftonville at the same juncture — in their opening qualifier and that suited the Aberdeen manager.
Mcinnes admitted: “I’m absolutely delighted we are at home.
“We don’t have the advantage of having supporters in the ground and the atmosphere at Pittodrie for European games can be very special but the fact we are at home, without the added complications of travel, is a huge benefit to us.
“We look forward to the game, regardless of which side we will face. Any team that qualifies for Europe must play at a certain level and we’ll familiarise ourselves with our opponent as we get closer to the game but we’re looking forward to the tie and hopefully we can have a few boys back before that game comes round.”
League of Ireland clubs, Derry City and Bohemians face trips to Lithuania (Riterlai) and Hungary (Fehervar) respectively.