Preview: Saints must test faith in pursuit of Istanbul miracle

Stephen Kenny said that his St Patrick's Athletic side would fight fire with fire ahead of their two-legged tie with Istanbul Basaksehir, but now, having matched their esteemed opponents in Dublin, perhaps the Saints boss will rethink his approach.

Entering the renowned white hot cauldron of Turkish club football, the former Ireland manager may now ponder the notion of attempting to take a fire extinguisher into tonight’s clash in Istanbul.

The first leg showed the manager, and more importantly, the players, that there is not as much between the two teams on the pitch as there is on paper, with Basaksehir boasting several internationals throughout their high-quality squad.

A well-organised, disciplined and energetic outing from the Inchicore side reduced the gap between the sides and Kenny will be tasking his players to carry that momentum into the second leg.

The rewards for the club have already surpassed expectations this season as the Saints head into their sixth European encounter of the summer. And while the club’s league form has demanded questions of the new regime, the European expedition has justified the appointment of the high-profile manager.

For the players, results in Europe and the adventures of playing away from home, with all the trappings of travel and foreign hotel stays, instils confidence and creates footballing memories, while a further foray into group stage football will also bring financial rewards as a result of an extended season.

As mentioned, Kenny’s success rate in the Premier Division has been surprisingly slow to take flight, however, he has brought all that previous European and international experience into the club and it is paying dividends in this competition.

Kenny has always had a