Belarusian champions BATE Borisov had beaten Stephen Kenny’s side 2–1 in the first leg at the modern Borisov Arena on 15 July. Dundalk returned home defeated, but far from discouraged. David McMillan’s away goal meant that a 1–0 victory at Oriel Park would send the League of Ireland champions into the next round.

Five days after the first leg, Dundalk Democrat sports journalist Gavin McLaughlin joined John Murphy on Dundalk FM’s Sports Academy. McLaughlin described the Borisov Arena, the atmosphere surrounding the European fixture and the conversations and opinions shared by Dundalk’s travelling support.

The first leg had started badly for the visitors when Aleksandr Karnitski put BATE ahead. Dundalk responded impressively. A move involving Daryl Horgan and Richie Towell created the opening for McMillan, who calmly finished from the edge of the penalty area and sent the travelling support into celebration.

BATE restored its lead before half-time, but Dundalk prevented the hosts from adding to their advantage after the interval. Against a club accustomed to European group-stage football, the Irish champions remained composed, technically assured and very much alive in the tie.

Martin Connolly’s message to supporters

During the second half of the programme, Dundalk FC general manager Martin Connolly joined the conversation with important advice for everyone heading to Oriel Park on Wednesday, 22 July. With a capacity crowd expected and European match-night arrangements in place, supporters were encouraged to plan ahead and help create the kind of atmosphere that could lift the Lilywhites.

The anticipation was felt all over the town. Tickets were precious, conversation was dominated by possible line-ups and scorelines, and one question hung over Oriel: could Dundalk finish the job against a team accustomed to playing on Europe’s biggest stages?

Excitement around the return leg was enormous. Dundalk were reigning League of Ireland champions and had shown in Belarus that they could compete with a club of BATE’s European experience. Stephen Kenny described his players as prepared and ready to attack the tie, while acknowledging that the visitors would arrive conscious of the threat Dundalk posed.

A brave European campaign ends narrowly

A crowd of just over 3,100 packed into Oriel Park on 22 July. Dundalk kept BATE scoreless but could not find the goal required to overturn the first-leg deficit. The match finished 0–0, sending the Belarusian champions through 2–1 on aggregate.

Although the result ended Dundalk’s European campaign, the two performances strengthened the belief that Kenny’s team belonged at that level. BATE went on to reach the Champions League group stage, while Dundalk completed 2015 by retaining the League of Ireland title and winning the FAI Cup.

The story also gained a remarkable sequel. Drawn against BATE again in 2016, Dundalk overturned another first-leg deficit with a famous 3–0 victory at Tallaght Stadium. Two goals from David McMillan and a late Robbie Benson strike delivered a 3–1 aggregate win and one of the greatest European results achieved by an Irish club.

That later triumph gave additional meaning to the discussion heard on Sports Academy in July 2015. The confidence of the travelling supporters, the belief created by McMillan’s away goal and the expectation surrounding the return to Oriel were early signs of the extraordinary European journey still to come.