Valletta midfielder Jamie Pace is heartened by his side's 1-1 draw against Irish team St Patrick's but urged caution ahead of next Thursday's second leg of this Europa League second qualifying round match.

Speaking to timesofmalta.com, Pace said Valletta "have a long way to go" to reach the next stage of the Europa League.

The Malta midfielder is also pleased that his performances for Valletta have lived up to the expectations of coach Ton Caanen whom Pace described as "breath of fresh air".

Meanwhile Valletta were due to return to Malta last night but they missed the flight from Heathrow after their flight from Dublin was delayed by over two hours.

The contingent had no alternative but to spend the night in an airport hotel and reschedule the flights to Malta. Valletta are now expected to fly back home later today.

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