St Pat's have signed Barry Cotter on loan from Shamrock Rovers.
And the Saints are awaiting word from UEFA on whether the 23-year-old can feature in tomorrow’s Europa Conference League clash with Slovenian side Mura.
A versatile defender who can also operate at wing-back, Cotter made 16 appearances for the Hoops this season, mainly from the bench.
READ MORE: Stephen Bradley fumes at Shamrock Rovers’ ‘naivety’ after handing Ludogorets the tie
The Clare man joined Rovers last August after returning from Ipswich Town having been signed by Mick McCarthy from Limerick in 2018.
Cotter will wear the No 2 jersey which was available after Jack Scott returned to Wolves after his loan deal expired.
St Pat’s are training this morning ahead of their European clash with Tim Clancy due to address the Cotter signing at his press conference this afternoon.
Rovers are regrouping after being left shell-shocked in Bulgaria last night following a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Ludogorets, which Cotter played no part in having trained with St Pat's yesterday.
Last summer, Ludogorets beat St Pat’s opponents Mura 3-1 on aggregate at the same second qualifying round stage of the Champions League.
With the second-leg to come in Tallaght next Tuesday, the door was left ajar for Rovers with the score at 2-0 deep in injury-time.
But in the 94th minute, Rovers self-destructed when trying to play out from the back rather than clearing the danger.
A Lee Grace ball was intercepted and although Alan Mannus made a good save initially, the ball fell to Igor Thiago and his fierce shot deflected off Sean Hoare.
The goal was a killer blow that leaves Rovers almost down and out in the Champions League - although they have the Europa League safety net if they crash in Tallaght.
Boss Stephen Bradley said: “It's almost impossible really. It's 3-0 and they are a very good side. 2-0 is a different game.
“When you give away a goal in the last 40 seconds like we did, we play out when we’re not set to play, '' is really, really naive from a really experienced group of players.
“We don’t do that at home to a team in the Leinster Senior Cup, never mind to Ludogorets in the Champions League. It’s really really poor from us.”
READ NEXT:
'I don’t mind where a fella comes from once he’s good enough at his job' - Kerry boss Jack O'Connor
Gary Murphy column: Consistency is overrated in golf - the Open will hurt Rory
Tough night for Shamrock Rovers as Champions League hopes suffer in Bulgaria
Nate Diaz to fight Khamzat Chimaev in final bout of UFC legend's contract
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
