Sheridan Confident Motherwell Will Progress in Conference League
Cillian Sheridan has no doubts. Motherwell, he insists, are not about to let this slip.
The former Fir Park striker watched Alfred Johansson begin his reign with a sharp, controlled 2-0 win over HB Torshavn on Thursday night, and he believes that first-leg cushion will be more than enough to carry the Scottish side into the third round of Conference League qualifying.
This, for Sheridan, is not a time for caveats.
"I'm going to put my neck out and say I think they will go through," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, nailing his colours firmly to the mast after a composed European performance from Johansson’s new-look team.
Motherwell’s night had the feel of a statement. A new manager, a European tie, and a professional job done. Martin Moormann struck first at Fir Park, Lukas Fadinger added the second, and from that point the Steelmen never looked in real danger. It was exactly the kind of assured opening Johansson would have hoped for in his first competitive game in charge.
The context matters too. HB Torshavn are no minnows in their own world, sitting fifth in the Faroese top flight after 16 games and coming into Europe on the back of last season’s second-place finish. They earned their Conference League shot. They just didn’t land a punch in Lanarkshire.
That is why Sheridan’s confidence sounds so absolute.
"You can't go away to the Faroe Islands and lose a two-goal lead," he said, cutting straight to the heart of it. This isn’t a tie against the Faroese champions, he pointed out, but against the side that finished in the European spots. The gap, on Thursday’s evidence, looked clear enough.
The trip to Torshavn still carries the usual European jeopardy: an artificial surface, a tight ground, a home side with nothing to lose and a season already in full flow. One early goal for HB and the tone of the night changes. Motherwell know that.
Sheridan knows it too, but he is still doubling down.
"I'm willing to have egg on my face at the end of this," he admitted, before immediately snapping back into certainty. "But no, they're not going to give up this lead."
Johansson’s tenure has barely started, yet already he has a chance to plant a marker in Europe. Protect the advantage, manage the occasion, and guide Motherwell into the next round. Sheridan is convinced they will. Now the Steelmen have to play with the same conviction.
