Foster ready for Euro challenge
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
The long road to the Aviva Stadium on the 18th of May next begins in a
spattering of unknown football enclaves across Europe with Dundalk
making their first appearance on the continent since 2002 in their
Europa League clash at the Josy Barthel Stadium, Luxembourg city.
Ian Foster’s side will be hoping to do a whole lot better against CS Grevenmacher than the Lilywhite team that went down 9-0 on aggregate to Croatians Varteks in the early noughties.
Grevenmacher, who finished third in the Luxembourg National Division last term should prove to be a lighter test but the unknown factor can always be contentious as Foster told Extratime from his base in the Grand Duchy.
“We're going to have to work them out very early. We've got a gameplan and if we stick to it, I'm hoping we can get a result,” stated Foster
Dundalk’s opponents are currently out of season- the Lilywhites having to make do with a meaningless friendly as a reference point on Grevenmacher’s current standing.
“They've watched us on Friday [against Bohemians] in a competitive game. We've watched them on Friday in a friendly, where they made wholesale changes, so I imagine they know a little bit more about us than we know about them.”
Missing for that game against Bohemians was goalkeeper Peter Cherrie, who’s fine season has been hampered by a foot injury and the Scot remains sidelined for this one. Matt Gregg deputises for only his second game this season and Foster is willing to gamble the chances of the stand-in not picking up an injury himself.
“We don't have another keeper on the bench. We've got other goalkeepers at the club, but in fairness they're not ready. I'm taking a risk by going with seven outfield players and if Matt gets seriously injured or sent off we've got problems. But hopefully nothing like that happens….but it's all about taking your chances. Matt has come into the side now and he's holding the jersey. If he does well, he'll stay in there.”
As well as the absent Cherrie, Dundalk will be without JJ Melligan, who has re-joined former club Cheltenham Town. The highly influential midfielder decided to return (his young family are living in England) after getting a 12-month contract with the Gloucestershire outfit.
“We've got big players missing.” remarked Foster, “ Obviously JJ has moved on, Liam [Burns], Peter [Cherrie] and Michael [Synott] are all injured. We have got options, not many, but we've just been looking at one or two things in training before making a final decision,” concluded the Dundalk boss.
The Louth men had a run out at the Josy Barthel this evening (Wednesday) and have a number of supporters in Luxembourg for the tie.
One disadvantage for the ‘home’ side is the fact that they are not playing in their regular ground, the Op Flohr Stadion, on the German border. They have one star however, Daniel Huss, who is well used to playing in the Josy Barthel for the national side having notched up 46 first-team caps. He scored 22 goals for Grevenmacher last season. That stand in keeper could be put to the test.
Ian Foster’s side will be hoping to do a whole lot better against CS Grevenmacher than the Lilywhite team that went down 9-0 on aggregate to Croatians Varteks in the early noughties.
Grevenmacher, who finished third in the Luxembourg National Division last term should prove to be a lighter test but the unknown factor can always be contentious as Foster told Extratime from his base in the Grand Duchy.
“We're going to have to work them out very early. We've got a gameplan and if we stick to it, I'm hoping we can get a result,” stated Foster
Dundalk’s opponents are currently out of season- the Lilywhites having to make do with a meaningless friendly as a reference point on Grevenmacher’s current standing.
“They've watched us on Friday [against Bohemians] in a competitive game. We've watched them on Friday in a friendly, where they made wholesale changes, so I imagine they know a little bit more about us than we know about them.”
Missing for that game against Bohemians was goalkeeper Peter Cherrie, who’s fine season has been hampered by a foot injury and the Scot remains sidelined for this one. Matt Gregg deputises for only his second game this season and Foster is willing to gamble the chances of the stand-in not picking up an injury himself.
“We don't have another keeper on the bench. We've got other goalkeepers at the club, but in fairness they're not ready. I'm taking a risk by going with seven outfield players and if Matt gets seriously injured or sent off we've got problems. But hopefully nothing like that happens….but it's all about taking your chances. Matt has come into the side now and he's holding the jersey. If he does well, he'll stay in there.”
As well as the absent Cherrie, Dundalk will be without JJ Melligan, who has re-joined former club Cheltenham Town. The highly influential midfielder decided to return (his young family are living in England) after getting a 12-month contract with the Gloucestershire outfit.
“We've got big players missing.” remarked Foster, “ Obviously JJ has moved on, Liam [Burns], Peter [Cherrie] and Michael [Synott] are all injured. We have got options, not many, but we've just been looking at one or two things in training before making a final decision,” concluded the Dundalk boss.
The Louth men had a run out at the Josy Barthel this evening (Wednesday) and have a number of supporters in Luxembourg for the tie.
One disadvantage for the ‘home’ side is the fact that they are not playing in their regular ground, the Op Flohr Stadion, on the German border. They have one star however, Daniel Huss, who is well used to playing in the Josy Barthel for the national side having notched up 46 first-team caps. He scored 22 goals for Grevenmacher last season. That stand in keeper could be put to the test.
