Cillian Sheridan Backs Motherwell to Progress in Europa Conference League
Cillian Sheridan has seen enough. One competitive game into the Alfred Johansson era and the former Motherwell striker is already convinced the Steelmen are on a clear path to the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
A 2-0 first-leg win over HB Torshavn at Fir Park has given Motherwell a firm grip on the tie, with goals from Martin Moormann and Lukas Fadinger marking a smooth start for the new manager under European lights.
For Sheridan, that advantage should be more than enough.
"I'm going to put my neck out and say I think they will go through," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, leaning into the kind of certainty that tends to make ex-pros nervous once the microphones are off.
Motherwell’s performance on Thursday offered the foundations for that confidence. Johansson’s side controlled the key moments, found their goals, and kept the visitors at arm’s length. In European qualifying, that combination usually travels well.
HB’s domestic form hardly suggests a looming giant. The Faroese club sit fifth in their top flight after 16 games, a step back from last season’s second-place finish that earned them this Conference League shot. They are competitive, organised, and awkward, but they are not the champions of their country.
Sheridan made that point bluntly.
"You can't go away to the Faroe Islands and lose a two-goal lead. Plus this is the Conference League, it's not the champions of the Faroe Islands, it's their team that finished in the Conference League positions."
That’s the crux of his argument. A two-goal cushion, a superior squad, and a side still riding the energy of a new manager should not be surrendering this platform. Not on this stage. Not against this level of opposition.
Sheridan knows the game well enough to leave a sliver of room for chaos. "I'm willing to have egg on my face at the end of this," he added, before snapping back to his original stance. "But no, they're not going to give up this lead."
The Faroe Islands can be an awkward destination: long travel, unfamiliar surroundings, a tight ground, a home side with nothing to lose. It has tripped up complacent visitors before. Sheridan’s view is that Motherwell, with Johansson still setting standards and players eager to impress, should be nowhere near that trapdoor.
If he’s right, this first step under the new manager becomes more than just a routine European night. It becomes the launch point for a Motherwell side looking to re-establish itself on the continental stage – and a test of whether Johansson’s tenure will be built on exactly this kind of composure when it matters.
