Homecoming king Keena says Sligo are in full control
Former SPFL journeyman delighted to stun Motherwell and put Irish side in driving seat
AIDAN KEENA left Fir Park to heroic chants from the Sligo Rovers travelling support after offering his side a huge advantage in the Europa Conference League qualifier.
But even the historic Euro triumph pales in comparison to leaving Scotland with a partner and daughter as he headed back to Ireland to sign for the Bit O’ Red in January.
Keena, 23, is no stranger to Scottish football having played for Hearts, Queen’s Park, Dunfermline and Falkirk before his move to Sligo. The striker holds fond memories of his time in Scotland, but is especially proud of the latest strike to earn Sligo a one-goal advantage in his first win at Fir Park in his third attempt.
Reflecting on the result and his previous experience in Scotland, Keena commented: “I loved it over here. I got a girlfriend and a daughter from here so it’s brilliant.
“I love coming back and come back all the time. To come back and play football here again was a bit strange but I enjoyed it tonight.
“My girlfriend is from Shotts only 10 minutes away and my sister lives two minutes down the road from here, so it was a familiar place for me.
“I think I lost here twice or three times with Hearts and David Turnbull scored a few against us one time. So it was nice to come back and get my first win here.”
Keena pounced on a slack Bevis Mugabi backpass in the first half to score the winner in the first leg with a deft chip over the stranded Liam Kelly in goal.
And while there’s an expectation Motherwell will improve in the return leg – with Sligo’s much greater match sharpness evident as they are midway through the
SSE Airtricity season – Keena insists it’s up to Sligo how the second leg plays out.
“I think it is up to us, I’m not really worried about Motherwell,” he said.
“Maybe some people call it a higher level (in Scotland) but I think it is up to us to put a game plan together and anyone can beat anyone.
“It’s not about what level
they are playing at or what level we are playing at, it’s about two teams on a pitch next Thursday in Sligo.”
Motherwell manager Graham Alexander offered a simple message to supporters after the narrow home defeat; keep believing. For Liam Kelly, there’s a back catalogue of results at difficult venues to reference and offer real confidence ahead of the trip to The Showgrounds next Thursday.
Motherwell only made the cut for European football after fending off stiff competition to make the top six and an eventual fifth-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership.
A draw away at Rangers, slender triumph over Ross
County in Dingwall and a late fightback from 2-0 down against Livingston were all required – and all achieved. Now Kelly is hopeful of a similarly impressive result on the road albeit on the European stage.
He explained: “We were 2-0 down at Ibrox as well at halftime and we managed to turn that around. So, we’ve went to really hard venues and turned it round before.
“Everybody in that changing room, players and staff believe we can turn it round.”
Motherwell were booed off the park at the final whistle, but Kelly reckons the performance was better than many last season.
He added: “Our performance, I think if you were here last year you would have noticed massive improvements in that first half. There’s plenty to be positive about in terms of performance.
“I understand the boos as well with the scoreline not going our way, that’s understandable. But they’re a good team. We are hoping to turn the tie around but obviously the advantage is with them at the moment.”