Derry’s reward is a French adventure in the UEFA Cup
 BY david
thorpe
The walls of Derry will come under siege from some Gallic flair in mid-September
after Derry City were drawn against top French outfit Paris St-Germain
in the first round proper of the UEFA Cup.
PSG are past winners of the Cup winners Cup and have played in the group
stages of the Champions League.
The Derry central defensive partnership of Darren Kelly and Peter Hutton
must already be wondering how they will cope with the threat of PSG’s
top scorer Portuguese World Cup star Pauletta. He is partnered up front
by the highly-rated Ivory Coast international Kalou.
Reacting to the draw, Derry manager Steven Kenny said: “I am delighted
that the fans will get to see players like those in action at the Brandywell.
“The players are really excited about facing a team of PSG’s
quality, they are obviously favourites but my players know what they are
capable of, are afraid of no one and will hopefully give our fans something
to cheer about.”
Derry can look forward to the lucrative ties after they knocked out Scottish
side Gretna in the previous round.
Having amassed a 5-1 lead in the first leg Derry played out an entertaining
2-2 draw with the goals coming from Sean Farren and stand-in defender
Ken Oman at the Brandywell on Thursday night.
Kenny was in high spirits after watching his side record that famous victory.
He said: “That’s what Irish football is all about, the pride
and passion is something which few teams can match, the fans were like
an extra player and this win is for them.”
Derry won the tie 7-3 on aggregate and having knocked out Swedish giants
IFK Gothenburg in their first match they have now progressed further in
the UEFA Cup than any Irish side in the history of the competition.
There was European heartbreak for the other Eircom League club in UEFA
Cup action this week.
FAI Cup winners Drogheda United turned in an excellent performance against
Norwegian side IK Start, and forced the tie into extra time thanks to
a late goal from substitute striker Eamonn Zayed.
That goal gave the Louth side a 1-0 win on the night, and forced the tie
into extra time and then penalties.
An epic shootout ensued, one in which Drogheda would suffer the ultimate
heartbreak.
IK Start lead by the amazing scoreline of 10 penalties to nine when left
back Graham Gartland one of the most consistent Drogheda players this
season ballooned his shot over the bar, sending the FAI winners spinning
out of Europe.
So it’s Derry City who will keep the Irish flag flying in Europe
this season, and given their success so far few would bet against them
causing another upset when they travel to Paris on the second week of
September.
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