Sligo Rovers manager John Russell has urged his players to embrace the occasion as the Bit O'Red welcome Motherwell to The Showgrounds on Thursday night.
Russell’s side lead 1-0 on aggregate against the Scottish top-tier side and will be looking to progress to the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
The manager believes that his team will be regarded as underdogs despite the first leg lead, however, he expects the confidence gained from the European experience so far to stand to his side for the second leg in front of a sell-out 3,700 crowd in Sligo.
"The focus for us is performing well on the night," said Russell, speaking to RTÉ Sport ahead of the game.
"We’ll be the underdogs even though we are winning 1-0 in the tie. Motherwell will be hungry to try to turn the game around, and for us it’s about how we perform on the night and how we implement our game-plan.
"We know the threats that they bring, they may make some changes to personnel or shape but we’ll be well prepared and prepped to deal with all that.
"It’s about embracing the occasion for our players. They want to play in Europe and they want to play in these big occasions and I think it’s important they come into the game feeling confident and I think we are in a good place as a group for the moment."
Rovers find themselves in a similar position from the first round when they took a one-goal lead into the second leg against Welsh league side Bala Town, however, things did not go completely to plan and Russell’s men needed penalties to secure safe passage to set up the tie with Motherwell.
Russell felt that some players were affected by the occasion in the last round, but ultimately feels that the hard-fought victory will stand to his side for the return game with the Fir Park outfit.
"The Bala game didn’t play out the way we would have liked, but the important thing was to get through the tie," said Russell.
"We got through the game and the players showed unbelievable resolve, they dug in and while we did get a bit of luck on the night, ultimately, the players were brave and they put away their penalties.
"It was a big moment for the group to get through that first round.
"There is learning in every game you play and I think that we brought that into the performance against Motherwell, defending well and limiting the opposition to shots from outside the box and that was very pleasing.
"It was huge to get through that tie. Ultimately there are learnings from the first game, managing the first half, the big crowd, getting a flow to our game and staying connected with each other.
"Maybe the occasion did get to some people, but I don’t think that will be the case on Thursday night."
Russell agreed that Thursday’s game will be one of the biggest in the club’s history and stressed the importance of winning such games in order to allow the club and the players to progress.
And the manager will urge his side to be patient throughout the game and try to keep to the game-plan even if things do not go to plan in the opening stages of the game.
"It is, there’s no doubt about it," said Russell, when asked if it was one of the biggest games in the club’s history.
"For us to progress as a club and as a team, you need to be getting through rounds in Europe; we all know the finances involved.
"But as a player, you do grow in confidence, and as the game went on last week, the players did grow in confidence saying 'we’re well able for this’ and hopefully we can put on another performance on Thursday night.
"We can’t panic if things don’t go our way in the first 15 or 20 minutes of the game, it’s a 90-minute game and it could go to extra time and penalties, so you have to be ready for all eventualities, but ultimately the last tie will definitely stand to the players for this game on Thursday."
Sligo’s victory was certainly seen as a shock in Scotland with local media describing Russell’s side as minnows following the 1-0 win at Fir Park.
The tag is borne out of ignorance rather than reality in Russell’s mind and while he takes no offence by the ill-informed Scottish press, he admitted that his side could use it as motivation going into the game.
"When you’re playing games against teams from the UK or Scotland they are reflecting on the league from ten or 15 years ago, but the league has come on leaps and bounds since then," said Russell.
"A lot of these teams are signing our players so it is funny when you see that in the papers, but we can use it as motivation.
"It drives you on and its ammunition, it’s something we can use and channel it in the right way."
Looking ahead to the game, Russell has a strong squad to choose from with the same players available for the game that travelled to Motherwell, however, the game has come around too quickly for experienced midfielder Greg Bolger, who will not be fit enough to be considered for selection.
"We have a full quota of players," said Russell. "The only players who missed out last time around were Seamus Keogh, who is looking at two months on the sideline, the same for Colm Horgan, and Greg Bolger is on his way back from injury but he won’t make the matchday squad."
Follow the Europa Conference League second round qualifying second legs on Thursday at 7pm, Sligo Rovers v Motherwell and NS Mura v St Patrick's Athletic, with a live blog on RTÉ News app and on rte.ie/sport
