Kirk Broadfoot has been through the highs and lows of European football.
The defender reached the UEFA Cup Final with Walter Smith’s Rangers when they faced Zenit St Petersburg in 2008 at the Etihad.
But for every Manchester there is also an FBK Kaunas or a Maribor.
Broadfoot was in the Ibrox side that crashed to humiliating Champions League and Europa League qualifying defeats to the Lithuanian and Slovenian minnows.
Despite leading Connah’s Quay 2-1 from the first leg of their Europa League qualifier in Wales, he is taking nothing for granted in tonight’s return at Rugby Park.
Broadfoot said: “This is a cup final for Connah’s Quay. They’ll see it as them coming up here to Kilmarnock with nothing to lose.
“Whether they sit in and keep it tight or go for it a bit more, who knows? It can be difficult and there is a bit of pressure on us, being at home. It’s the manager’s first game in front of the fans so we need to put a show on and win the match.
“It’s just another game. That’s the way I see it. I said to the boys last week just to relax and enjoy the occasion.
“You don’t change the way you play because it’s a European game as opposed to a league game.
“You just try to play your own way.”
Broadfoot thought his days of playing in Europe were over when he quit Rangers for Blackpool in 2012.
The 34-year-old added: “It was something I thought had probably gone for me when I left to go down to England. And when I came back to Kilmarnock playing in Europe obviously wasn’t really something I was thinking about.
“That’s just the honest truth. It was just a case of trying to get into the top six every year.
“The way things went last season, we really kicked on. To break into the top-five teams and finish third was a fantastic season for us.
“It would be huge for a club like Kilmarnock to reach the Europa League group stage, although it wouldn’t be quite as big as Rangers reaching the UEFA Cup Final.
“But we can’t look too far ahead. We need to take it game by game because that’s where we are right now.”
