Stick or twist? Shamrock Rovers' dilemma for next European hurdles

Not too long ago, there was a sense that Shamrock Rovers' hopes of winning a fifth SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division title were slipping away.

But Sunday's 2-0 win over Shelbourne means the Hoops have dragged themselves to within two points of Damien Duff's league leaders, while Derry City and Galway United also remain in close proximity - the Candystripes with two games in hand - as an unpredictable campaign approaches the final straight.

But last week was also a positive for Stephen Bradley's squad with Dylan Watts' late, late header earning Rovers a 1-1 draw at home to APOEL in their opening match of the UEFA Conference League proper - a result even more notable for the fact that Neil Farrugia's second yellow card left them down to ten for 40 minutes.

With one point in the bag and daunting fixtures against Rapid Vienna and Chelsea later in the 'League Phase', the next two fixtures against Northern Irish champions Larne and Welsh outfit The New Saints have been viewed as potential opportunities to try and rack up the points that could give them a shot at becoming the first League of Ireland club to reach the knockout stage of a European competition.

Bradley went for a more "pragmatic" and athletic midfield of Gary O'Neill, Markus Poom and Darragh Nugent, behind Danny Mandroiu and striker Johnny Kenny against APOEL, with Jack Byrne and Watts coming off the bench to provide the assist and equaliser respectively as the ten men threw caution to the wind.

But could one or both of the latter two be thrust into the team from the start against Larne and TNS to add a creative spark against opponents viewed as less potent than the Cypriot champions on the continetal stage?

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