SHELS ARE OUT WITED

Mees on Maark as Reds left with a mountain to climb

- OISIN DOHERTY in AFAS Stadion

BRAVE Shelbourne were left ruing a huge missed chance as their profligacy came back to haunt them in a 2-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League.

John Martin blew Shels’ biggest opportunity of the night midway through the second half, getting his feet in a muddle with the goal at his mercy, only to see AZ go up the other end and grab the opener less than two minutes later.

All eyes were on Troy Parrott as the self-professed former Shamrock Rovers fan took on the Reds, but it was his teammates Mees de Wit and Isak Jensen who stole the headlines and got the Dutch side's European campaign back on track.

A must-win game for both sides, there was a red-hot atmosphere before kickoff, with the travelling Shelbourne supporters making plenty of noise.

Parrott may be on his way to National hero status in Ireland, but he was the enemy for Shels fans, who booed his every touch to start and jeered when his name was announced by the PA.