Rijeka defeat a sickener for Shels & mental block continues to hold us back

WALKING away from Tolka Park on Tuesday night I thought about how the psychology of European football was still the biggest hurdle for our clubs to overcome.

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There was big deflation over the result as Rijeka went through and Shelbourne failed to guarantee Conference League football, but that can still come through a playoff over the next fortnight.

The quality and potential is there now in the top LOI clubs. I've no doubts that all the elements are there, bar one. But it's a big one.

A psychological hurdle remains to be cleared - that ability to manage the line between confidence and overconfidence, between positivity and arrogance.

Shels were - pardon the pun - stuck in their shells at home to the Croatian champions. The players needed to stick their chests out more and take ownership of the situation with that 2-1 advantage coming into the home leg.