It was an evening of mixed emotions for Stephen Bradley after his side's loss to Ballkani in the first leg of their third round Conference League clash, with the Shamrock Rovers manager somewhat frustrated by the below-par showing in Kosovo.
And yet it is only 1-0 ahead of the return leg at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday next, with Larne or Portuguese side Saint Clara awaiting in the play-off round if the deficit can be overturned.
Speaking afterwards to Shamrock Rovers TV, Bradley initially accentuated the positive, when saying: "The tie is obviously alive. It's 1-0 and we'll take that back to Tallaght."
On the flip side, he added: "Our performance tonight was just OK and in the first half we were well below our levels that we normally are. In the second half we were a little bit better but there is still so much to come from us. That is the frustrating bit; we did not play to our levels but the positive is that we are still in the tie. We will take it back to Tallaght and it will be a different game next week."
Ballkani's advantage is a slender one, and Bradley was keen to applaud his players for the grit and determination they showed throughout.
"We know we can be so much better but you have to give the players so much credit for staying in the fight, for the character they showed. That's a great quality to have when you're not at your best - and the players deserve great credit.
"We had some half chances but when we're at our best we know we can create more than that. It was a poor goal to give way from our point of view and they punished us."
Before the return leg there is the bread and butter of the league, with a trip to Galway on Sunday, and a chance to cement the Hoops' lead at the summit of the Premier Division.
"We've got to stay focused," was Bradley's rallying cry to his players.
"We recover tonight, fly back tomorrow and then get ready for Galway on Sunday. The games against Galway have been really tight this year so we have to go there and fight."
