Conor McCormack prepares for step into the unknown with Derry City

Derry City captain, Conor McCormack is relishing his return to European competition.

The 28 year-old midfielder has made an impressive total of 18 appearances in European football so far during spells with Shamrock Rovers and Cork City and was part of the historic 2011 Hoops side who qualified for the Group Stages of the Europa League.

And so when he urges caution as he prepares to return to the continent on August 24th when Derry City take on Lithuanian outfit, FK Riteriai in the UEFA Europa League first round qualifier in Vilnius, it’s best to take stock.

The Lithuanians are currently sixth in their domestic A Lyga with a -17 goal difference. They were the lowest ranked team from the possible three opponents Derry could’ve been paired with in Monday’s Europa League qualifier draw in Nyon after fellow country men, Žalgiris and Hungarian side, Honved.

While Derry would’ve preferred a home draw against FK Riteriai for the one-legged shoot-out, an away trip to the Lithuanian capital was no doubt the next best scenario.

McCormack believes it’s a winnable tie but he’s warned Derry can ill afford to take their opposition lightly.

“We can’t get carried away,” said the City skipper who scored his first goal of the season against St Pat’s last week. “No European game is going to be easy. We have to concentrate on ourselves and get ourselves tactically ready.

“We have a couple of big games coming up in the league before that so we must take it one step at a time.

Conor McCormack celebrates his goal against St Pat's at Richmond Park last week.

“Hopefully we can get a couple of wins and a bit of momentum going into the European game.”

The Carlingford native was part of Stephen Kenny’s Shamrock Rovers side who made a shock exit from the UEFA Champions League in the second round at the hands of Lithuanian champions, FK Ekranas in 2012.

As a result, he won’t be taking FK Riteriai for granted despite their poor domestic form.

“I don’t know really too much about them,” he admitted. “I think under Stephen Kenny at Rovers we played a Lithuanian team and they kicked us out when we were favourites to go through.

“There are no easy games, we just have to make sure we get things right on the night and progress. They were probably the lowest ranked team we could’ve got which I suppose is a benefit but we set high demands on ourselves and no matter who we play we go out to try and win.

“I’m sure Decky (Devine) and his backroom staff will have them well scouted and we’ll do a lot of homework on them before going over there.

“It will be strange that it’s only a one leg game so anything can happen over 90 minutes. We just have to be well prepared.”

McCormack, Peter Cherrie, Ally Gilchrist, Darren Cole, Ciaron Harkin, Conor Clifford, Colm Horgan and Mark McChrystal have all featured in European competition in the past while Eoin Toal was an unused sub against Dinamo Minsk in 2018.

However, the versatile McCormack expects Derry’s trip to the Baltics at the end of the month to be a journey into the unknown for most.

“For a lot of players it’s going into the unknown. Hopefully myself and the likes of Peter (Cherrie) can bring a bit of experience for the young lads and those who haven’t played in Europe before.”

The opportunity to play in Europe again was one of the biggest factors to entice McCormack back to Brandywell at the start of the season and he’s relishing the prospect.

“We’re really looking forward to it. It’s one of the reasons I came back to Derry. Obviously a lot has changed since the first time I was here and things have gone on to bigger and better things.

“Being in Europe was a big factor because I enjoy it. I’ve played in Europe the last couple of years and have a good bit of experience. That’s probably why Decky and the team wanted to bring me in as well.”

Derry’s first round qualifier, meanwhile, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, August 25th to accommodate FK Riteriai’s rivals, Žalgiris Vilnius who are also set to play their Europa League qualifier at home against Estonia’s Paide Linnameeskond.

Both FK Riteriai and Žalgiris Vilnius play their home matches at the LFF Stadium but league leaders, Žalgiris will now play their qualifier on Thursday, August 27th.

Derry’s qualifier is a one-legged match with extra time and a penalty shoot-out if required. KO 7pm local time/5pm Irish time.