Derry City's great European adventure hits the road tonight, but the distance is a bit more manageable this time around as Candystripe fans head to Dublin for the second leg of their Europa Conference League third round qualifier against FC Tobol Kostanay.
So far they have been to the Faroe Islands to play HB Torshavn, Finland to knock out KuPS in a thriller and last week they were in Kazakhstan, losing 1-0 to keep the tie alive ahead of tonight’s second leg in Tallaght.
It has added a few more stamps to Patrick McEleney’s passport with the midfielder set to make his 50th European appearance in front of the RTÉ cameras.
Most of that half century came during spells with Dundalk, but as a Shantallow native growing up a mile from the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry city, it’s understandable that his home club’s European exploits carry extra excitement for McEleney.
However, it’s a game in Dundalk colours that’s sticking out in his mind as Ruaidhrí Higgins’ side try to mirror what Stephen Kenny’s team did in 2016 when, like Derry, they had to give up home comforts for Tallaght as they trailed 1-0 from the first leg. What followed was a crushing 3-0 win over Belarusian side BATE Borisov and a repeat would do just fine here.
"I can only help with what I’ve seen through the years," said the Derry captain.
"I’ve been thinking about things to say. I’ve been there on big return legs where you have to do the business. These nights don’t come often, you have to look forward to it. I’d be lying if I wasn’t thinking about that one [BATE Borisov] specifically.
"We don’t want this to stop. Teams have got to group stages in previous years, but to go through the four rounds, people would have said basically it’s impossible but it’s something we are thinking about. We don’t want it to end."
While an Achilles issue is limiting McEleney’s involvement lately, his experience will likely be required at some stage in what could be another pivotal moment for Irish teams in Europe.
Find a way through and they are one round away from a group stage spot with Czech outfit Viktoria Plzen, who faced Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League, almost certainly lying in wait after their 4-0 first leg win over Gzira United.
It’s a daunting ask tonight, but McEleney’s European career has been dominated by sides who have played against top teams and have travelled on exciting runs.
Twice he has played in the Europa League group stage with Dundalk while they were one step away from the Champions League version in 2016 after a 3-1 aggregate play-off loss to Legia Warsaw. With Derry, there had only been one aggregate win prior to this season, but it was a thumping 9-0 success against Welsh side Aberystwyth Town.
He is in no doubt that Irish sides belong deep in European competition, and the 30-year-old is hungry for another famous chapter in Dublin.
"There’s no doubt in my mind that Irish clubs are able to compete for group progression."
"Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers flipped that on its head and our team are going really well at the moment."
Overcome tonight’s sizeable obstacle and Derry will be just one round away from joining that pair as an Irish club who has experienced European group stage football. McEleney might not be finished at 50 appearances just yet.
Watch Derry City v Tobol Kastanay in Europa Conference League third round qualifying on Thursday at 7.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app
