Shamrock Rovers used all their experience to remain in the contest against APOEL having been reduced to ten men and going a goal down early in the second half, before fighting back against all odds to secure a late, late equaliser in their UEFA Conference League encounter at Tallaght Stadium.
The opening game of the Conference "league phase" saw the Hoops go head-to-head with the Cypriot champions, who came to Dublin looking for all three points. And Rovers had to dig deep to stay in the game in the early exchanges as the visitors came flying out of the blocks, threatening the goal inside the opening 60 seconds of the contest.
APOEL attacked with pace and precision throughout those opening ten minutes, as Rovers maintained their composure and their shape to keep the chances to the minimum before gradually getting a foothold in the game.
By half-time and with the teams going off level at the break, there was a sense of optimism amongst the home side who had earned the right to take the contest to their frustrated opponents after the break.
And it showed early in the second half as it was Stephen Bradley's side who started on the front foot with Johnny Kenny getting a sight at goal shortly after the re-start.
But then, disaster struck as a bemused and bewildered Neil Farrugia trod off down the tunnel having received his second yellow card of the game, just five minutes after the re-start.
Booked for a bit of a tame off-the-ball altercation in the first half, Farrugia then picked up a very soft second for a slight tug on APOEL playmaker Marquinhos.
The visitors sensed their opportunity and made the breakthrough shortly afterwards from a well-worked set-piece, as Cyprus international Konstantinos Laifis crashed his header home.
APOEL maintained the bombardment as they went in search of a second to wrap up the points, however, it was at this stage that the home side did their best work as they stayed calm, worked their way through the pressure and moved into the final 20 minutes just one goal in arrears, allowing Bradley to empty the bench and send on a string of attacking options.
And it eventually paid dividends during the five minutes of injury time as Dylan Watts arrived perfectly onto Jack Byrne’s corner to head home to get Rovers’ Conference campaign up and running.
"I think the team showed real learnings from the last time that we’ve been at this stage in terms of when we go down a man and we go a goal down, they were nice and calm," said Bradley, speaking at the post-match press conference.
"They stayed really disciplined in their shape and you could hear them on the pitch telling each other that 'we will get a chance, we will score’. You could hear them talking to each other and that was really pleasing to hear and see.
"It showed real maturity and real understanding that we just need to stay in the game. You always get a chance, and we got it."
The vital chance and eventual equaliser came in injury time from substitute Watts who rose highest in the box to help it home and secure that opening point for the Hoops, and the manager was full of praise for the man he labelled "the best midfielder in the league".
"They go zonal for defending corners, and the problem with zonal is when it’s a good delivery and good run, you can’t stop it.
"The guy who’s in that zone for them is 6ft 3 and Dylan is looking up at him. He’s brave to be fair and got his head on the end of it. But the pleasing aspect was we knew we would get a chance, and it was about staying disciplined.
"I know I'm a bit biased, but I think Dylan has been the best midfielder in the country this year.
"I don't think that anyone has been on his level. I've been saying that to him for a number of weeks.
"He probably hasn't had the recognition because our form has been patchy domestically obviously. But I think Dylan, as an individual, has been the best midfielder in the country."
A lack of discipline is what caused Rovers to go down to ten men, and while it was a touch harsh, Farrugia made the referee’s decision a lot easier by putting his hand on the APOEL player just before he hit the deck, and Bradley had no complaints saying that it comes down to having the experience to know what you can and can’t do at this level.
"Neil is experienced enough to know that you can’t come out square like he did and expect to get away with it at this level.
"You give the ref the decision to make, whether it is minimal contact or not, he has made contact, so we can’t complain. The disappointing thing is that we knew that was what their wingers like to do, take it, check in behind, and for that, Neil switched off and he got punished…and that was really poor for an experienced player."
On the contrary, Rovers striker Johnny Kenny did not give the referee a decision to make midway through the second half as he stayed on his feet when clearly clipped inside the box, resulting in a tame effort on goal.
The forward’s honesty resulted in Rovers missing out on a certain penalty, while APOEL would also have been reduced to ten men had the decision been made.
And Bradley believes that it was a striker’s instinct that kept Kenny upright, however, he felt that the player should have gone down to secure the spot-kick.
"Johnny’s mentality is that he wants to score, like any striker that thinks they have a chance of scoring they are going to try to stay on their feet, but you can see when you watch it back, the referee had the whistle to his mouth and was going to give the penalty.
"Johnny should have gone down because he was off balance hitting it – the linesman told me he was onside as well – but he made the decision in half a second and in that moment he thinks he has a chance of scoring and he is going to take that opportunity."
Rovers can now look forward to five more games in the Conference League as they attempt to reach the knockout stages of the competition, and the manager is targeting a situation where his side are still involved beyond the December games and into the New Year.
"We have to target our home games, try and win games and see where it takes us," said Bradley. "The aim is to be playing football after December.
"We’re on the board, we have a point, we’re up and running and the aim is try and go and get as many points on the board. We’ll have a fair idea over the course of the next two games what’s going to get you there.
"It’s a great result, it gets up on the board, and in this format, it’s really important, and now it sets us up for Sunday."
Rovers return to League of Ireland action against the league leaders Shelbourne knowing that a victory could move them within two points of Damien Duff’s side going into the remaining three games of the campaign.
"We’ve never lost that belief. Like I said, you don’t do what we’ve done. Have we been at our usual high standards domestically in the league? I think it’s pretty clear we haven’t been," said Bradley.
"There’s been a number of reason for that, but what I know is that these players, they’ve got tremendous character, togetherness, they’re hungry for more, they want to win and it’s up to me to give them the platform to do that.
"We’ll enjoy tonight, we’ll forget about it tomorrow and we’ll get ready for Sunday. It’s one of our biggest strengths, we’ll refocus and we’ll be ready for Sunday."
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