Shamrock Rovers players express incredulity over Dylan Watts goal

Dylan Watts, not a player known for his aerial prowess, reminded his Shamrock Rovers' team-mates that what is rare is wonderful on Thursday night.

Watts proved an inspirational substitution by Stephen Bradley, as he secured an equaliser at the death and a point for 10-man Shamrock Rovers in their 1-1 draw in the UEFA Conference League encounter against APOEL at Tallaght Stadium.

The game looked up for the hosts when Neil Farrugia was dismissed for a second bookable offence after five minutes of the second half, with a goal from Konstantinos Laifis in the 59th minute seemingly leading to an inevitable conclusion.

However, Bradley and his spirited Rovers outfit had other ideas.

"I never expected Dylan Watts to head a ball in his life!" - Pico Lopes

"Unbelievable," was the word Hoops captain Pico Lopes used to describe the result in his post-match interview with RTÉ Sport.

"The ending was just amazing. I never expected Dylan Watts to head a ball in his life! To come up with a vital goal at that time is just amazing. So credit to him.

"We knew it was going to be difficult when we went down to 10 men, and it was all about us digging in and holding out. We knew we would get an opportunity.

"It came late, but thankfully we took it when it came.

"We started a bit nervous, and you could see that, with a few misplaced passes.

"We gradually switched on and made a few passes to set us into the game. I think as the half grew on, you could see us grow stronger and create one or two opportunities.

"In the second half, I thought we started well, a man down, but we still created chances on the counter-attack. It was just about maintaining belief and that calmness, knowing if we did our defensive work right, we might catch one.

"It's always important