Cork City manager John Caulfield says the club shouldn't take its current heady days for granted and praised the members and supporters for helping them return from near oblivion at the start of the decade.
The 2017 League of Ireland champions face a daunting task away to Legia Warsaw in the second leg of their Champions League tie. They lost the first leg 1-0 after a spirited performance in Turner's Cross.
The league has received more negative publicity recently with the Bray Wanderers saga making headlines but Cork City's rise from financial doom in the past decade is a stunning success story.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue ahead of their first away game in the Champions League for 12 years, Caulfield paid tribute to the people behind the scenes who've driven the revival of the club and the general public who've made Cork the best supported club in the League of Ireland in recent seasons.
"You have to pinch yourself when you think where the club have come in a short period of time. We shouldn't take it for granted. We've played four years in Europe. We've won back-to-back Cups, the Double. We've had some great wins in Europe. We might get a bit spoiled by it. We're on track for a fifth year in a row in Europe.
"You have to give unbelievable credit to FORAS initially, to our season ticket holders, and to the ordinary public who came and pay through the gate as well who have been phenomenal in the five years since John Cotter (assistant) and myself got involved.
"We're here to work hard. We're here to our best for the club. We're all proud of Cork City, we're all passionate about the club. And that's why lining out tomorrow will be such a special occasion.
"It's great for our supporters. we have a couple of hundred coming out. And while we know it's difficult, we have to remember it's Champions League. And compared to where the club was eight or nine years ago, it's a great place to be."
John Caulfied acknowledges his side's difficult task in tomorrow night's second leg away to Legia Warsaw pic.twitter.com/IJYPdtHuux
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The Cork manager knows that his side will likely spend the majority of tomorrow night's second leg playing without the ball but he says it's imperative they analyse ways in which they can hit the hosts on the counter-attack.
"They're going to be at home (this time). They probably underestimated us last week. Our pitch is much tighter compared to the one the have here.
"But certainly, they move the ball very quickly. They were switching the play. Very skilful players. Our disappointment was that we had a number of chances at 0-0 and we hadn't taken them.
"It'll be more of the same tomorrow. Obviously, we'll have to defend for our lives but we're looking at situations asking can we hit them on the counter-attack, can we get chances. But it will be difficult no doubt about that.
"We understand that in games like this that you have to be compact but you have to have a gameplan of how to score and hit them on the counter-attack.
"We are realistic that we know they're going to dominate the ball. But we've done our work and the lads are looking forward to it. We're massive underdogs but our lads are very, very brave, they've give everything they have and that's all you can ask for."
City go into the game with a number of injury concerns. Gearóid Morrissey and Conor McCarthy are both ruled out after suffering injuries in the first leg, while Colm Horgan will also miss the tie. Johnny Dunleavy completed his first ninety minutes since his return from long-term injury on Friday night, but this fixture comes too soon for him. Mark McNulty missed the first leg but will be assessed ahead of Tuesday’s tie.
Follow our live blog of Legia Warsaw v Cork City on RTÉ.ie and the News Now App from 7.30pm
