SOCCER NEWS:IRISH CLUBS enjoyed contrasting fortunes in yesterday's draw for the two European club competitions, with Bohemians handed a challenging Champions League assignment against Giovanni Trapattoni's former Austrian club FC Salzburg while at the other end of the scale, St Patrick's Athletic were paired with either Malta's Valetta or Keflavik of Iceland for a place in the third qualifying round of the new Europa League.

Ireland's other two representatives face potentially tricky ties, with Derry City drawn against Skonto Riga of Latvia, while Sligo Rovers, the first of the Irish sides into European action as a result of having to play in the Europa League's first round, will welcome Albania's KS Vllaznia from Shkoder to the Showgrounds on Thursday week.

The rankings of the respective national leagues would suggest Paul Cook's side start as favourites to progress, with Rapid Vienna awaiting the winners in the next round but it is clear from Vllaznia's record they are no pushovers, with last year's Albanian cup winners and this year's runners-up in the league having eliminated teams from Israel, Croatia and Slovenia on the last three occasions they have participated in European competition.

At least until the second round, though, Sligo's task still looks relatively straightforward when compared with that facing Pat Fenlon and Bohemians. Red Bull (formerly Austria) Salzburg's owner Dietrich Mateschitz has invested heavily in the club since buying it and changing its name in 2005.

The squad, managed by Huub Stevens - a former Dutch international who coached Schalke 04 to the Uefa Cup final in 1997 - includes a fair sprinkling of the current Austrian international squad, as well as players of 11 players of other nationalities, more than half of whom have represented their countries.

Alexander Zickler, capped 12 times by Germany and a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, is perhaps the best known of the club's stars but there is plenty of quality available to Stevens who only officially takes over from Trapattoni's immediate successor, Co Adriaanse, next week, even if he will have to work hard to weigh up his various options before the Dubliners arrive for the first leg, which is scheduled for July 15th.

"It's probably as tough a draw as we could have got but I think the players will look at it as a challenge," said Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon yesterday. "It's important that we get back to Dublin with the tie still alive so we have a chance at Dalymount Park."

Asked if Trapattoni might be of assistance in providing some intelligence on a squad he had a significant hand in assembling, the Dubliner suggested he would be happy to listen to whatever the veteran Italian might have to say.

"I know he has plenty on his plate but if there was an offer of help we certainly wouldn't refuse it," he said. "If he had any information that might be of use then we would take it on board because I don't think the squad has changed all that much since he left."

The precise scale of Derry's task against Skonto, meanwhile, is somewhat harder to gauge. The Latvian club received heavy investment from the early 90s and won 14 national titles in a row without ever making the breakthrough they had hoped for on the European stage.

Now, it seems, the money is drying up with no titles won in the last five seasons and the club's budget for this year reported to have been cut from some €2 million to just €500,000. Still, there is a significant number of Latvian internationals in the team, which is managed by Paul Ashfield, an Englishman who is familiar with the Irish game having done his coaching badges here.

"It's one of those where both sides might feel they have a chance," said City manager Stephen Kenny yesterday.

"We actually played a friendly against them when I was in charge at Bohemians and they were a good side. I haven't had a chance to research what they're like now, but they still seem to have some good players, so it certainly won't be easy."

One of the team's stars is Andrejs Pereplotkins, who Kenny took on loan to Bohemians from Southampton when the Latvian international striker was a teenager.

"He was only a young player then, 18, but he seems to have done okay for himself since. He knows where the goal is but at that time Glen Crowe was outstanding, he was at his peak and they weren't really a pair. They weren't all that compatible."

Kenny's team are just one point behind Bohemians in the league and the City boss is conscious of the importance of his players not becoming distracted from their title challenge, but he sees a run in Europe as having a particular appeal to the club's supporters.

"I think it's a little bit special when you're in a city with just one club and you're representing everybody. A few years ago we beat Gretna, Gothenburg home and away and then played PSG and that was massive here at the time. It got people going, probably more than any domestic success could have.

"Financially, of course, it's always going to be important if a club can do well in Europe but really it means a lot more than that to the people involved."

European draws Selected ties

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Second qualifying round

First legs: July 14th/15th

Second legs: July 21st/22nd

FC Salzburg (Aut) v Bohemians

17 Maccabi Haifa FC (Isr) v Glentoran

EUROPA LEAGUE

First qualifying round

First legs: July 2nd,

Second legs: July 9th.

Sligo Rovers v KS Vllaznia (Alb).

Lisburn v FC Testafoni (Geo).

Randers FC (Den) v Linfield.

Second qualifying round

First legs: July 16th,

Second legs: July 23rd.

Rapid Vienna v Sligo Rovers/KS Vllaznia.

St Patrick's Ath v Valetta (Mal)/Keflavik

Skonto (Lat) v Derry City.

Falkirk v Vaduz (Lie).

Suduva (Lit) v Randers FC/Linfield.

FK Rabotnicki (MKD) v Crusaders FC