Cliftonville boss Paddy McLaughlin has praised his players for teeing up a “big European night at Solitude” thanks to Thursday night’s narrow 2-1 defeat in Slovakia.
The Reds may have lost the first leg of their Europa Conference League first qualifying round showdown with FC DAC at the MOL Arena.
But Ronan Hale’s first half strike and a disciplined performance leaves the Solitude men with everything to play for in North Belfast next Thursday.
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McLaughlin told the Cliftonville website: “You’re obviously never happy to lose any game but it’s a scoreline that means there’s everything to play for next week and I think everybody associated with the club is already looking forward to a big European night at Solitude.
“The players worked their socks off and giving our fans here and our fans back home something to look forward to means so much to us.”
DAC were ahead in the 25th minute when Rego Szantho cut inside to curl an unstoppable shot past Cliftonville keeper Fynn Talley.
But the Reds hit back three minutes later when Hale, a summer signing from Larne, latched onto a deflected Jamie McDonagh cross to fire home.
DAC, who lost Brahim Moumou to a late red card, won it in the 65th minute when Nikola Krstovic rifled home Veselovsky’s low cross from the edge of the penalty area.
“The players worked their socks off from start to finish against high calibre opposition and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” said McLaughlin.
“The boys had to work very, very hard to keep their shape and discipline off the ball and they did it superbly right throughout the game.
“They never lost focus and weren’t afraid to have a go when the opportunity was there. Every one of them put in a serious shift and gave it everything they had.”
McLaughlin also paid tribute to a vocal band of Cliftonville supporters who travelled to Slovakia to provide “incredible support” for their team.
“They always back us in their numbers but to do it here, so far away from home, is different class and they made themselves heard throughout the game,” he said.
“The boys really appreciate that support and I think we saw at the end of the game that players and supporters both appreciated each other’s efforts throughout the match.”
The winners of the first qualifying round tie will meet either Vikingur (Faroe Islands) or Europa of Gibraltar in the next round.
Vikingur lead 1-0 from Wednesday night’s first leg in Torshavn.
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