Stephen McPhail will draw on the glorious memories of Leeds United's European nights in the early noughties when Shamrock Rovers begin their Europa League quest at Tallaght Stadium tonight [8.0pm].
The Hoops host Finnish side RoPS Rovaneimi in the first qualifying round of a competition that holds great memories for the Dubliner.
McPhail was part of David O'Leary's youthful Leeds team that marched to the last four of the UEFA Cup - now known as the Europa League - before falling to Galatasaray in 2000.
The 36-year-old would get a taste of the glitz and glamour of Champions League football the following season as they again made the semis, and is targeting another run in the autumn of his career.
“Getting to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup against Galatasaray, I was thinking about it last night, thinking about the two games and how close we were to getting to the final that year," he told RTÉ Sport.
"It’s a different occasion [against RoPS] bit I’m looking forward to it; it’s a great cup.
“In the later stage of your career when you play in the big games you understand them more and you know you’re never out of them if you perform properly. We can’t lose the game [in Tallaght]. We need to be set properly to be in the tie going over there."
McPhail, capped 10 times for the Republic of Ireland, had a lengthy career across the water with Leeds, Barnsley, Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday before Pat Fenlon brought him home two years ago.
There may not be too many big European occasions left for the midfielder, and he's desperate to stretch Rovers' run last as far as possible.
“We’re looking forward to a game in Europe now," he said. "It’s a different mindset completely, with two games over [the tie], but we’re looking okay. We feel confident.
“It’s a big game for the club. I think for all clubs, financially, it’s massive for them. Their league is ranked a bit better than ours so we’re expecting a tough game, probably similar opposition to what we face week in week out in the league. We’ll have a good go. We feel we know a bit about them.
“I’ve played the last five or six games so I feel as fit as I have been. We’ll set up alright and hopefully get a result and go over there next Thursday and try and win the tie.”
