Stephen Bradley has told Shamrock Rovers fans that they will play a key role in the Hoops’ bid for group stage football.
More than 7,000 supporters packed into Tallaght Stadium last week as Bradley’s side put one foot in the second qualifying round of the Champions League - a job they finished on Tuesday night in Malta when a professional performance frustrated their opponents Hibernians.
Bradley wants to go one step further than last year, when Rovers were eliminated in the Europa Conference League play-offs.
READ MORE: Hibernians 0 Shamrock Rovers 0: A drab affair but Hoops won't care as they advance to next round
And he says the backing of the fans will be crucial in that bid.
Next up is a trip to Bulgaria next week to face Ludogorets Razgrad - a team that in recent years has played group stage football in both the Champions League and Europa League.
They have claimed some famous results, including a 5-1 win over CSKA Moscow, a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, as well as draws against Paris St Germain, Liverpool and Lazio.
Bradley wants to be involved in European competition until the end of the year - and he knows how big an impact the Rovers fans can have on his side’s prospects
“We have put ourselves in a really strong position,” he said. “We know we have big games coming up next month at least, hopefully for the rest of the season.
“The crowd in Tallaght can play a big part. We definitely need the crowd. They have been brilliant all year. Hopefully there will be many more special European nights this year.”
Their 3-0 aggregate win over Hibernians means a minimum prize fund of €1.4m - and a worst case scenario of a Europa Conference League play-off place.
Before that, Rovers can still push for the group stages in either the Champions League or Europa League, while progress over Ludogorets would guarantee at least Europa Conference League group stage football.
“We will do everything possible to win the next tie, that’s our aim,” said Bradley. “Like I said, we have put ourselves in a really strong position.
“We are not looking at it as if we have fallbacks, we are going there to win the tie.
“We know it’s going to be tough, that it’s going to be a step-up, but we will do everything possible to go through.”
As for next week’s opponents, he said: “It’s definitely a step up. Their pedigree over the last few years tells you that.
“They are definitely a team that will really test us, but this is what we want, we want to be playing at this level.
“We will do our homework on our way home and when we get back, and we will be ready next week.”
Bradley added: “This is what we have tried to work towards for the last few years, improving our seeding.
“Thankfully it paid off this year, we have given ourselves a really good chance.
“There is still obviously a lot of work and tough games to come, but we have given ourselves a good chance (of group stage football) and that’s what we wanted.
“This first game is massive in the Champions League. It opens up so many routes for you.
“But I don’t think the players played tonight with any fear or apprehension.
“We played a completely different performance here, but we were very comfortable. We managed the game and we played within ourselves in possession.
“But we are fine with that. We wanted to protect the win. That meant we limited our options in the attacking half of the pitch.
“I thought we were very comfortable. The players managed the pressure and expectation over the two ties really well.
“But we are not blind. We know winning this round is so important for the club and for our path.”
Navigating a route to Bulgaria next week could be as challenging as Rovers’ opponents.
“It looks like it will be really tricky,” said Bradley. “It doesn’t look like there are any charters available, so right now it’s really tricky.
“Hopefully in the next day or so it will become clearer, but it does look tricky.”
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