SHAMROCK ROVERS have been paired with English Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League group stages.

While Hoops fans are still coming to terms with the remarkable achievement of Michael O'Neill's side in beating Serbian side FK Partizan Belgrade at the play-off stage, their minds will now be focused on their Group A challenge.

The dates are (fixtures to be confirmed):

Matchday 1 : 15 September 2011

Matchday 2 : 29 September 2011

Matchday 3 : 20 October 2011

Matchday 4 : 3 November 2011

Matchday 5 : 30 Nov-1 Dec 2011

Matchday 6 : 14-15 December 2011

Jim Crawford, who had a spell as caretaker manager of the Hoops in 2008, is the FAI Community Development Officer for Tallaght and he believes the draw is a very good one for the club and the area. 

“It’ll be a fantastic opportunity for the players to play against the quality of Gareth Bale, Luke Modric if he’s still there, Emmanuel Adebayor, Rafael Van der Vaart and so many other star names," said Crawford.

“For the supporters it will be a chance to see a competitive European fixture against teams like Spurs, Rubin Kazan & PAOK. it’s exciting time for supporters of football in this country as we’ve waited a long time for one of our clubs to make this breakthrough.

“For the Tallaght area in particular it’ll be fantastic. The local football community has really been taken with how well Michael O’Neill’s side have progressed in recent years.

“For Shamrock Rovers its fantastic considering how many years they were under real financial difficulty and now they’ve got so much to be positive about."

Crawford, whose playing career included spells with Newcastle United, Reading, Bohemians and Shelbourne, believes that Rovers will face a major step up in the Group stage.

“I’ve got a lot of friends in England who were watching last night’s game online and there is a tremendous amount of interest in the fact that they’ve made history," he added.

“Obviously the level they are going at is going to be a massive step up. I’d be thinking it’s a case of do as well as you can. Every game is going to about enjoying the experience, learn about that level and see how they cope in competitive UEFA group football that hasn’t been had in this country before.”