Decent week in Europe for the LOI sides

Three 1-1 draws, two away from home. Fans of Cork City and St. Patrick's Athletic would have probably taken score-draws from their first-leg jaunts to Sweden and Belarus in the Europa League. For Dundalk, the concession of an away goal means they face an uphill task when they go to Iceland - the home of ' The Mountain', Hafþór Júlíus "Thor" Björnsson - for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier next week.

For Extratime.ie: Disappointed Fenlon wants Rovers to have go

Shamrock Rovers boss Pat Fenlon was disappointed with his side's 2-0 defeat to RoPS Rovaniemi in Thursday night's Europa League first qualifying round match – and admitted ahead of the return leg in Finland, “We've got to go and have a go.”

For Extratime.ie: Corral injury a blow says Esch manager

Jeunesse Esch boss Carlo Weis believes losing Ken Corral to injury early in the first-half disrupted his side during their 1-0 defeat to St. Patrick's Athletic in Richmond Park on Tuesday.

For Extratime.ie: Fagan smashes Saints' European goalscoring record

Christy Fagan netted the only goal in St. Patrick's Athletic's 1-0 win over Jeunesse Esch at Richmond Park on Tuesday night to become the Saints' all-time leading goalscorer in Europe.

For Extratime.ie: Campbell sheds light on Jeunesse Esch

St. Patrick's Athletic's opposition analyst Dave Campbell has shed some light on Tuesday night's Europa League opponents, Jeunesse Esch.

For Extratime.ie: Byrne calls on Pat's to grasp Europa League chance

Conan Byrne has called on his St. Patrick's Athletic teammates to forget about their indifferent Premier Division season by throwing themselves into their two-legged Europa League first qualifying round tie against Jeunesse Esch.

For Extratime.ie: Buckley believes league form is irrelevant to Europa League tie

St. Patrick's Athletic boss Liam Buckley doesn't believe his side's inconsistent form in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division will have any bearing on their Europa League first qualifying round tie with Jeunesse Esch. 

For Extratime.ie: Collie O'Neill - Bratislava the bar we have to reach

Collie O'Neill has just come through a more hectic month as boss of First Division UCD than most Premier Division managers will endure over the course of an entire season, and he admits that the Students' Europa League escapades have taken a physical and mental toll – but he wouldn't trade it for anything, saying: “It's been brilliant, it really has.”

For Extratime.ie: Slovan Bratislava coach praises "brave" UCD

Slovan Bratislava coach Dušan Tittel was pleased to witness an improvement on his side's first-leg performance against UCD in Slovakia as they booked their place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League with a 5-1 win over the Students in Belfield. 

For Extratime.ie: Top 5 Irish appearance holders in European competition

With the qualifying round draws for the 2015/16 Champions League and Europa League set to take place in UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Monday, there is a keen Irish interest in the outcome – and not just from League of Ireland supporters.

Paisley's enforced departure highlights home truths

The first memory that comes to mind when I hear the name Stephan Paisley isn't even football related. It was New Year's Eve, 2011. I was in the Grand Social on Lower Liffey Street with friends and 2012 had long been rung in by the time I decided to pick up my jacket and head home. As I was leaving, I spotted a familiar face.

Can Boyd and McFadden rejuvenate the SPL?

So James McFadden has returned to the SPL with his first club Motherwell, making substitute appearances in Motherwell's back-to-back defeats to Dundee United and Ross County, and looks all set to feature against runaway leaders Celtic tonight. And Kris Boyd has also returned to his roots, to Kenny Shiels' Kilmarnock - and he too could feature tonight, against Hibernian.

The Argus: Dundalk jet out for first leg of European adventure/Grevenmacher - the story so far

Dundalk jetted out to Luxembourg in the early hours of yesterday morning as they get ready for the first leg of their Europa League first qualifying round tie with CS Grevenmacher on Thursday.