Shamrock Rovers to benefit from Drogheda United's misfortune after Europa Conference League expulsion
SHAMROCK ROVERS have directly benefitted from Drogheda United's exclusion from the Conference League.
Drogheda'a absence from the competition - because it and Silkeborg are owned by the Trivela Group - was
As a result, Rovers - and Albanian side FC Dinamo City - have been promoted from the first to the second qualifying round.
It means Stephen Bradley's side will have to progress through three rather than four rounds to match last year's achievement of reaching the group stages, when they went on to qualifying for the last 16.
St Pat's will still be in the first qualifying round of the Conference League, as will league winners Shelbourne in the Champions League.
The draws for both competitions take place later today, with the Champions League at 1pm, the Conference League and 3pm and the Europa League - which does not feature any Irish teams - in between.
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There is a big variation in the standard of their possible opponents for unseeded Shels with Romanian giants FCSB looking like the ones to avoid.
Linfield, Breidablik of Iceland, Kosovo's Drita and Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar are the other potential draws.
Shels played on the Rock last year and beat St Joseph's 3-2 on aggregate with the club incurring fines of €21,250 for their fans throwing missiles onto the pitch and chants of 'Gibraltar is Spanish'.
St Pat's - who reached the third qualifying round of the competition last season - are seeded in the first round.
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Their four potential opponents are Bruno's Magpies from Gibraltar, Latvia's BFC Daugavpils, FC Hegelmann of Lithuania and the Faroe Islands' outfit NSI Runavik.
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Kevin Doherty's side lost at home to the Hoops last night
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