Sligo Rovers defender Shane Blaney netted a stunning goal to help Sligo Rovers to a famous Europa Conference League victory over Motherwell and he admitted that it's probably the best goal he ever scored.
Leading 1-0 from their first leg victory in Scotland, Blaney helped to settle nerves early on at the Showgrounds as his fourth minute strike from a free-kick 25 yards out doubled Sligo's lead on aggregate.
Substitute Max Mata added a second in added time for a 2-0 win against a Motherwell side that were never allowed to settle or get comfortable on the ball.
Blayney played a big part in keeping the Scottish side quiet at the back but it’s his goal for which he’ll be remembered.
When asked whether it’s the best he’s ever scored, he replied: "It is, yeh, it’s probably one of the only goals I’ve ever scored, to be fair! But no, it’s obviously a great goal and I’m delighted with it.
"I’m confident over free-kicks, I’ve hit them all my life at every team I’ve been at really. The distance it was out set up perfectly for me because I like them a wee bit further out that I can get a good strike on it.
Nights like these are incredible and it's just unreal to think we’re going to have another one in a couple of weeks
"I caught the goalkeeper in the corner of my just at the last second, he just shifted over at the last second, he thought I might pull it to the near post so it played into my hands perfectly.
"It calmed things down a wee bit alright, but we still had a massive task ahead of us because we know the quality they have and they could have easily slipped a couple through, but we defended really well from the front in both legs.
"Other than maybe a couple of long strikes, Luke McNicolas didn’t have a lot to do. Even though they had a lot of possession around the middle, we never really felt massively under pressure so it was just about keeping concentration for the full 90 and making sure we were switched on.
"Nights like these are incredible and it’s just unreal to think we’re going to have another one in a couple of weeks."
Up next for the Bit O’ Red are Norwegian side Viking in the third qualifying round after they got the better of Sparta Prague in their qualifying tie.
Sligo skipper David Cawley is already looking ahead to the tie and taking extra joy in the match-up because it’s a fixture that so few people ever expected to see made.
"We were constantly doubted as the draw was made," he told RTÉ Sport. "I saw plenty of things saying before a ball was kicked in the first leg that it would be Motherwell against Sparta Prague.
"These things, we take them in. We wanted to prove people wrong and show how good we are and we did that over two legs as well, so it wasn’t a once off.
"We’ve a young hungry bunch who want to do well and they were brilliant."
