St Pat’s draw Lithuanian side in Europe

ST Patrick’s Athletic have been drawn against Lithuanian side FC Hegelmann in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League.

They are set to play Hegelmann first at Richmond Park on July 10 before travelling to Lithuania the week after.

The European adventure may very well be a welcome break from a League where Pats have found themselves in uninspired form so far this season.

Indeed it may just be the thing that Pats need to rejuvenate the squad. Manager Stephen Kenny spoke about the impact that European football had on the teams league play last year

“I think it definitely helped us because the tempo and level you were playing and you were bringing that into your league form so it definitely was advantageous. But there’s no guarantee you’re replicating that. You’ve got to earn the right to do that.”

Founded in 2009 by a shipping and logistics company, Hegelmann have found themselves working their way through the divisions in Lithuanian football where they have now reached the pinnacle A Lyga. They finished second last year and are currently in the same position.

We obviously don’t know too much about them, but come closer to the time, we’ll do our work on them.” St Patrick’s midfielder Jamie Lennon on opponents FC Hegelmann.

It was a big week for Irish teams in Europe this week. Drogheda United would unfortunately see themselves kicked out of UEFA competitions due to breaches in ownership rules.

This would directly cause Shamrock Rovers to now progress to the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League.

In the Champions League qualification an absolutely huge game has materialised between Damien Duff’s Shelbourne and Northern Irish champions Linfield with fixture dates not yet announced.