CONOR KEARNS took a moment after his European debut to reflect on how far he had come.
But the Shelbourne goalkeeper admits that he will not fully appreciate his progress unless he can help his side reach the next round of the Europa Conference League.
Kearns did not have much to do against St Joseph’s on Tolka Park on Thursday night but, even so, the Gibraltar outfit are well in the tie after Shels’ 2-1 home win.
The netminder was just eight years old when the Reds last competed in Europe.
But, as much as fans endured tough times in between, Kearns’ own career has not been straightforward.
He impressed at UCD, but struggled to prosper after his first big move to St Pat’s, rebuilding at Galway United before flourishing under Damien Duff.
And Kearns, 26, said: “It only dawned on me on Thursday that this was something I definitely felt I was capable of achieving from a personal perspective, but one that probably felt far, far away at one point.
“Playing in the depths of the First Division . . . it’s a tough league.
“I probably wasn’t playing my best football, I probably wasn’t in the peak condition I should have been in.
“I had to take some time to seriously evaluate where I was at.
To turn that corner and keep that belief and make myself a better footballer and athlete, to get to this level.
“It never felt too far out of reach.
“I just knew I had serious work to do and thankfully I was able to get myself back to the level I want to be playing at.
“I’m just massively grateful to play for this club.
“It’s not about one individual, it was more about the supporters, the people who had to endure the real dark times of following a football club.
“For all of us to have a night like this was special.
“It was a really special night.
“We had the video that was up on the club’s social media, us as players we all watched it before the game.
“If the players didn’t realise already, it really opened the eyes to the emotion connected to this game.
“But it’s only going to be really special if we finish the job. It is a stage we want to be on consistently.
“Without going overboard, it’s one of the best nights I have had, one of the best feelings, the sense of pride in representing this club.
“It’s only going to be even more special if we win the tie.”
POWER-UP
Kearns reckoned that video played its part in them taking the lead just 27 seconds in through Mark Coyle.
He said: “Once we saw the video we were just itching to get on to the pitch.
“Even in the tunnel the players were like, ‘Can we just get out and get the game going?’
“No better man to put us in the lead than Coyler.
“He leads by example and it was a fantastic goal and a brilliant way to start the game.
“The goal we conceded was disappointing, especially from a set-piece, but we kept calm heads.
“It was a sucker punch but we didn’t let it affect us going into the second half.
“To win the game was the most important thing.
“Going over there, you are into the unknown because they have to go out and try to get a goal to stay in the tie.
“So I have to prepare for anything they will try to throw at me.
“Myself and the team have to be prepared for that.
“If we want to be a serious, serious team in this league, and if we want to be playing European football consistently, there won’t be any day-dreaming or taking our eye off the ball.”