Football: Rhyl FC brace themselces for tough Partizan Belgrade draw

Jun 24 2009 by Dave Jones, Denbigh Visitor

RHYL head coach Allan Bickerstaff admitted his team could hardly have landed a tougher task in the UEFA Champions League after the Welsh Premier champions were paired with crack Serbian outfit Partizan Belgrade in Monday’s draw in Switzerland.

The Lilywhites will be at home in the first leg of the second qualifying round next month against a club with a long and proud history in European competition. “We could have done with an easier one,” said Bickerstaff, following the draw in Nyon.

“But whoever we’d have drawn it would have been tough and we’ve got to get on with it and prepare as best we can.

“We want the players to go out and enjoy themselves; for some it will be their first experience at this level and I know they’ll be looking forward to it.

“We’ll get as much information on them (Partizan) as we can; we’ll do our homework.”

Bickerstaff was in charge of the Rhyl side thrashed over two legs by Bohemian of Dublin in the Inter-Toto Cup last season, but he had only just taken over from John Hulse.

“That was someone else’s squad I worked with last year; this time it will be our team and I’m sure we’ll give a good account of ourselves.” he added.

The Serbians were the third highest-rated opponents that the Welsh Premier champions could have drawn and Bickerstaff’s side will face a tough task, both at Belle Vue on July 14 and at the 32,000-capacity Partizan Stadium.

Champions for the past two seasons, the Serbians have a long history of playing in European competition and participated in the first-ever Champions Cup match that took place on 3 September 1955 in Lisbon against Sporting.

Partizan also became the first club from Eastern Europe to have played in a European Cup final against Real Madrid, after eliminating Manchester United in the semi-finals.

In more recent years, the club played in the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League, after dumping out Newcastle United in the last qualifying round.

The current squad includes two Brazilians, Cleo and Washington.

Bickerstaff’s task will now be to get his players into tip-top shape for the biggest game of their lives.

With several of last season’s title-winning unit having left the club this summer, the Lilywhites have drafted in only three new signings so far – Lee Hunt, Martyn Naylor and John Leah.

However, Bickerstaff revealed he is set to bring in experienced midfielder Paul Evans for the European campaign, and is in the process of recruiting a young defender from Chester City.

Oswestry-born Evans, 34, has won two caps for Wales and was last registered with Unibond League club Halifax Town.

The midfield man has made well over 400 Football League appearances since beginning his career with Shrewsbury Town in 1993. He made nearly 200 starts for the Shrews before leaving Gay Meadow after six years’ service.

West London club Brentford signed him for £110,000 in 1999 and it was while there that he gained his first Welsh cap.

After three years with the Bees, for whom he scored 31 goals in 130 matches, he had stints at Bradford City and Blackpool before signing for Nottingham Forest in 2004.

Short stays at Rotherham, Swindon and Bradford followed before Evans dropped out of the Football League and joined Oxford United in 2008. He played just three games for the Conference National squad before joining Halifax.