SOCCER:IF SOMEBODY can figure out the right loyalty card to acquire then there might yet be an air miles bonanza in this week's trip to Kazakhstan for somebody at St Patrick's Athletic.
First up, though, there are just an awful lot of miles in the air to be negotiated, starting with the hop to Heathrow this afternoon, after which there follows an 18-hour journey that will end tomorrow afternoon in the city of Astana.
Even that is just a stop-off point for Pete Mahon and his players, for they will then undertake a two-and-a-half-hour bus journey to the stadium for Thursday’s game against Shakther Karagandy, having been advised against staying in the city itself.
“After all this,” admits the manager, “I’ll just be happy if we have anything to bring back to Inchicore.”
The logistics of the trip were made slightly worse yesterday when the club received a quote of around €100,000 for a charter flight they hoped would bring them part of the way.
The decision to refuse the offer is more evidence of how the financial state of clubs here is affecting the European campaigns.
What puts it in starker perspective, however, is that Mahon will be without two members of his coaching staff due to work commitments and impending emigration, while three players have had to pay colleagues to cover for them in their day jobs.
There was some good news for the Dubliner in that Paul Crowley, Brian Shortall and Conor Kenna all feel they will be available for selection.
Crowley and Shortall looked to be major doubts with hamstring problems, but Mahon says both have told him they will be okay, although the manager admits the long flights are hardly the best preparation for the pair.
Kenna, meanwhile, has been sidelined since just after the start of the season with a knee problem but has been back training for several weeks now and could yet feature.
Shane Guthrie will also be aboard today’s flight having been released from Dundalk where he had been on loan.
The club had terminated the loan to free up funds to bring in other players and the first of them, Carl McHugh, arrived yesterday on loan from Reading.
The 18-year-old from Donegal has been capped at underage and manager Ian Foster says he has been impressed by his ability playing at centre or left back.
“I know, having seen him, that he is very competitive,” said the manager. “He plays on the front foot, he can handle the ball, he is a very intelligent young individual and we’re delighted that Reading have allowed him to come here.”
