The Irish keeper enjoyed some memorable times with previous club Newcastle United, most notably an epic 3-2 win over Barcelona shortly after he had arrived at St James’ Park.
It is now two years since his last stint in the UEFA Cup with the Magpies, but the thought returning at the knock-out stages with City is an enticing one to the 32-year-old.
Shay says, “There are some huge teams both in terms of ability and history still left in this year’s Uefa Cup and though some people view it as a poor relation to the Champions League it still takes some winning, and particularly so this season.
“It is a great trophy in terms of kudos for any team to win and I am sure all the teams left in it are as desperate to win as we are. There is definitely a different feeling playing in Europe, it is hard to define but there is a special atmosphere surrounding match nights.
“Sometimes there is not the blood and thunder of the Premier League and it is a little bit cagier. You find teams want to keep possession more and try to hit you on the break.
“I have some great memories of European nights at Newcastle and I hope to have some more here this season,”
Following the disappointing defeat at Fratton Park last Saturday, Shay is pleased that the chance to atone for that display is coming around quickly.
“Last weekend at Portsmouth was a huge disappointment for everyone involved with the club. On the day we were not good enough and we need to rectify that. Whenever you have a bad performance it is great if the next match comes quickly and you can immediately start to put the record straight.
“Hopefully we can do that tomorrow. We know that we let the fans down at Portsmouth when we were not good enough on the day.”
Temperatures in the Danish capital are expected to plummet to minus six, or even lower, but Shay does not think this will pose a problem.
“The extremely cold temperatures will not be a problem. Sometimes when it is really cold the ball moves all over the place but the modern ball does that any way.
“It is just nice to be back in Europe again and it is great to be in with a chance of winning a trophy. Who knows which team’s name is on the cup. It could be ours.”
