A refresher on Jeunesse Esch

In Monday's Europa League draw, St. Patrick's Athletic were drawn against Luxembourg side Jeunesse Esch in the first qualifying round. Who are Jeunesse Esch? Well, first of all, they are no strangers to League of Ireland opposition.

Esch didn't have European football last season having finished fifth in the National Division in 2014/15, meaning their Europa League first qualifying round tie with Dundalk in July 2014 was their last appearance in UEFA competition. And it didn't go too well for them, the Lilywhites running out 5-1 aggregate winners.

In the first leg in Esch's Stade de la Frontière, a Richie Towell brace gave Stephen Kenny's side a 2-0 win to take back to Oriel Park. The Luxembourg side never threatened on their maiden competitive trip to Ireland, with Brian Gartland, Kurtis Byrne and John Mountney giving Dundalk a 3-0 half-time lead to render Jonathan Zydko's second half goal a consolation.

Based in the south west part of the country, on the border with France, in a town called Esch-sur-Alzette, Esch are Luxembourg's most successful club having won the National Division 28 times in its history, with 13 runners-up finishes, as well as winning the Luxembourg Cup 13 times.

The club's most famous exploits outside of their domestic league came in the late 50s/early 60s when they qualified for the old European Cup four times in six seasons. Two runs stick out in particular. In the 1959/60 competition, they were drawn against Polish side LKS Lodz in the preliminary round. They claimed a 6-2 aggregate win having won the first leg at home 5-0.

In the first round proper, they faced a slightly more difficult opponent: Real Madrid. Boasting the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, the Spanish side swept past Esch in the first leg in the Bernabeu, winning 7-0. However, Esch had the temerity to take the lead twice in the second leg, going 1-0 and 2-1 ahead, before Madrid upped the gears to win 5-2 (12-2 on aggregate).

Di Stefano, Pukas and the rest went on to claim their fifth straight European Cup with a 7-3 victory over Frankfurt in Hampden Park, one of the competition's all-time classic finals.

For the 1963/64 edition, Esch returned to the competition after a two-year absence and were given a preliminary round tie with FC Haka. The Finnish side won 4-1 in Valkeakoski, a seemingly unassailable lead. Yet Esch managed to win the second leg 4-0, including a goal in the final ten minutes, to secure a 5-4 aggregate victory and a tie with Yugoslav champions Partizan Belgrade in the first round proper.

In the first-leg at home, an 82^nd minute goal by Marcel Theis – a regular scorer in Europe for Esch at the time – secured an incredible 2-1 victory for the Luxembourg club. However, Partizan went on a goal-spree in the second leg in Belgrade to run out 6-2 winners, progressing 7-4 on aggregate.

Some seasons later, in 1973/74, Esch were drawn against Liverpool, fresh from their 1973 UEFA Cup success but some years away from their first European Cup win. A side boasting, Kevin Keegan, Steve Heighway and the rest was held to a 1-1 draw in Luxembourg. However, with John Toshack back in the team for the return leg, Liverpool won 2-0 at Anfield, Tosh getting the second.

The good news for Pat's is that last season LOI clubs had a decent record in Europe against teams from Luxembourg. Esch themselves didn't play in Europe last year after finishing six points adrift of fourth-placed Progrés Niederkorn.

Niederkorn of course would go on to face Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League first qualifying round, losing 3-0 on aggregate. Meanwhile, F91 Dudelange finished four points above Niederkorn in third – and they, like Niederkorn, were eliminated by a League of Ireland side in last year's qualifiers, drawing 2-2 with UCD on aggregate and going out on away goals.

It also might hearten Pat's to know that Esch's record defeat in UEFA competition came in July 1999 and was an 8-0 reverse away to Skonto Riga – the Latvian side who knocked out the Saints at the first qualifying round stage of last season's Europa League.