Defeat by KA in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League prompts a reflection on where Dundalk and the wider League of Ireland currently lies in the European pecking order and the factors which have seen the league go backwards in recent years regarding European competitiveness. While Stephen O'Donnell remains confident the tie is very much alive the Lilywhites face a tough, though not impossible task, to overcome a 2 goal deficit and earn a lucrative place in the next round.