Rory Gaffney knows there is more than one way to skin a cat.
And that is why the hard-working striker feels so appreciated at Shamrock Rovers, even if he doesn’t always score the goals.
Gaffney has scored six times in the league this season and bagged another in Europe when the Hoops beat Hibernians of Malta in the Champions League.
By his own admission, he is not happy with that return but he still weighs in with important goals while his all round game has been nothing short of exceptional.
And that is why he will be in the conversation when it comes to naming a League of Ireland ‘Player of the Year’.
Ahead of the Shkupi clash, Gaffney, 32, said: “I’m happy with how it’s gone but I would have liked to have scored more goals.
“Every striker in the league would say that they could have scored more goals and I can improve on that, but I’ve never been a 20-goal a season striker.
“It’s why I’ve worked so hard on other areas of my game. I always had the mentality that if I don’t score today, what did I do for the team? And that has helped me.”
After initial spells at Mervue and Limerick, the Galway man moved to England and played for Cambridge United, Bristol Rovers, Salford City and Walsall.
“I’ve played in different positions during my career, starting off as a winger when I was with Mervue and Limerick and then obviously became a striker,” he said.
“I’m able to create goals and chances for people because I’ve been that winger in the past and know what type of ball forward players want.
“Another part of it is just how clear an instruction we get from the manager. I know most people’s position on the pitch - wingback, centre-mid or one of the 10s.
“The gaffer’s message is simple and it’s consistent. He shows us video clips of stuff that goes well, or doesn’t go well and we pick up the trends of what he’s saying.
“I know where to be on the pitch because he’s told us where to be, and the workrate, the way he wants us to press.
“You're in the team to try and score goals, but thankfully with this manager you're not just judged on scoring your goals. He looks at your all round game.
“You work so hard off the ball and he puts pressure on you to work hard off the ball. If you're not at it, someone else will be brought in.”
Shkupi’s defenders struggled to handle Gaffney’s pace and power in Tallaght and the Hoops will be hoping he inflicts more damage tonight.
Group stage football can be secured, but Gaffney has no intention of settling for the Conference League when the Europa League proper is up for grabs.
“I think it’s the biggest game of my career and it will definitely go down as the biggest achievement for me personally.
“I know some lads have done it already, like Seán Hoare and Finner, but I’d love to get a crack at the group stages.
“(Progressing tonight) would give us a free crack at whoever we get in the next round but I’m not looking past this game.
“We saw how dangerous Shkupi were last week in the second half. And we know if we don’t turn up, we could easily pay the price.”
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