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
"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 to take advantage of home advantage, so it was important to get off to a positive start. We did that tonight, we got a point on board, and hopefully we can use that momentum to kick on in the group phase."
Jack Byrne was similarly startled by Rovers' equaliser coming from the head of Watts.
"It's the first time I've ever seen him head the ball, but brilliant," Byrne quipped.
"He's been unbelievable this season. He's been our best player, I think, by a mile.
"He deserved that tonight. I'm sure he'll have a big end to the season."
"It's the first time I've ever seen him head the ball, but brilliant" - Jack Byrne
Byrne, who spent an unhappy injury-interrupted nine months at APOEL after signing a two-and-a-half-year deal at the start of 2021, was candid in his appraisal of the Rovers performance.
"They were the better side for 90 minutes, but for one minute in the 90 we got a chance and we scored.
"We have to do better. We have to start taking the game to the opposition, especially when we play in Tallaght.
"You can't give the game up like that for 20 minutes at the start. We know that as players.
"I'm sure the manager will go through it and reflect on it and look to change something going into the Larne game.
"I don't think we'll be giving up as much of the game against them. We've got good players, so we need to start showing that in Europe."
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