A few words on the official website by defender Chris Baird on his return to Belfast. He says:
“It was a hard game for us and they certainly made it tough. We’re delighted to get a 3-1 win and be able to take them back to the Cottage next Thursday.
“The Manager told us what to expect and I knew what to expect being from here – they made it hard for us and we knew we were in for a game. Fortunately we got two more goals to finish the first leg off.
Him and Hughes used their knowledge of Northern Irish football to warn the team not to expect an easy tie:
“Aaron Hughes and I knew what to expect and we said to a few of the lads that it was going to be a tough game and they would be right on top of us. We weren’t wrong and they made it hard for us but we were very professional.
“It was nice to come back [to Belfast], although I’d never played at Seaview before. I really enjoyed it but the win is the most important thing. We got the job done and we’ll take them back to the Cottage next week.
“We’re on the grass at the Cottage next week so we’ll be on a better surface and we’re very good at home. Hopefully we’ll get the job done and progress through to the next round.”
