Shelbourne captain Owen Heary arrived back in Dublin yesterday with his side and was upbeat despite his side’s 3-0 defeat to RC Deportivo la Coruna.
Speaking to RTÉ News, the Dubliner said: "We played well out there. 3-0 is not the worst scoreline in the world. They have a chance to win this tournament. We never did."
Shels manager Pat Fenlon said: "We need to build on this and not just take the plaudits. We need to try and get to this stage every year."
Shelbourne official Finbarr Flood put the achievement in perspective. He said: "It takes 80 million a year to run Deportivo. We need to get to that level. Their coach told us that we are nearly at that level."
Shelbourne now go into Friday’s UEFA Cup, First Round draw.
Filed by Mark O'Neill-Cummins
