Former St Patrick's Athletic midfielder Conan Byrne says the dynamic wing play that has characterised Stephen Kenny's successful teams of the past is beginning to reveal itself at the Inchicore club.
The ex-Republic of Ireland manager, handed a five-year contract at Richmond Park when appointed back in May, made a slow start at Pat's and collected just five points from his first six games.
However, in Europe, wins over Vaduz and Sabah have carried them to within one round of the Europa Conference League group stage, with Kenny's new signing Zach Elbouzedi - former Republic of Ireland U21 star - scoring the winner in Azerbaijan.
"That dynamic wing play that Stephen Kenny has been renowned for over the years in the League of Ireland has come to the fore again with St Pat's," Byrne said on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"Bringing in Elbouzedi from AIK on one wing, and then keeping (Jake) Mulraney out wide on the other, it's had a key impact and they combined for the goal to send them through.
"It's just something I think Pat's lacked, that creative spark in the final third, through the course of the season. And now they're unbeaten in six games, they're unbeaten in Europe in four. It's a huge turnaround.
"There was talk of... where was the bounce back when Stephen Kenny came in. Well, here it is."
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The win has taken Pat's to within one round of the Europa Conference League group stages, a potential outcome which Kenny has branded a "life-changer" for his players.
However, first they've to navigate the daunting challenge of Istanbul Basaksehir, Turkish champions back in 2020, who famously humbled Manchester United in the Champions League group stage back in 2020-21.
"The club owner, Garret Kelleher, is all about Europe. He loves getting through a couple of rounds in Europe," says Byrne.
"They're coming up against unbelievable opposition in the next round. It'll be a huge task for them to get through, being completely honest.
"But stranger things have happened. I don't think many people expected Pat's to get through this tie (against Sabah) and they did quite comfortably.
"You never know with Stephen Kenny and his tactical astuteness and how he sets up his teams in Europe, you never know what might happen."
Shamrock Rovers are already safely pencilled in for European group stage football in 2024, with only the level at which they enter yet to be determined.
Amid a stodgy league campaign, in which their bid for a historic five-in-a-row appears to have been shunted off-course, Stephen Bradley's side have seemed liberated in Europe, dispatching Slovenian champions Celje on a euphoric evening in Tallaght last week.
The rousing extra-time victory provisionally assured them of a spot in the Conference League group stage at the very least, a phase they last reached under Bradley in 2022.
In the meantime, they face intimidating Greek outfit PAOK, with a shot at reaching the even more lucrative Europa League group stage for the first time since 2011, though Hoops boss Bradley has been at pains to ban the use of the term "free shot" in the lead-up to the game.
Former Pat's keeper Barry Murphy argues that Rovers can approach this game with a measure of freedom, which has characterised their performances in Europe thus far but which has been notably absent in their domestic campaign, where the five-in-a-row pressure seems to have weighed on them.
"They can go there without any fear. They've done the donkey work. The Vikingur (Rekyavik) match was massive, to set this ball rolling. And to produce that performance again in Sparta, without getting a result at the end of it. To now go and beat Celje, who are an established European side, they were vying for the group stages themselves.
"They've put themselves in a position where they can really enjoy it and express themselves. That's where Rovers have done really well this year. They've looked like they've had a weight on their shoulders in the league, about trying to go on and make this historic five-in-a-row. They look like they've borne the brunt of that pressure that season so far.
"But in Europe, they've been exceptional. They'll go over there full of confidence but again, it's a huge step-up."
