McCartan's side, Peamount United, face into a clash with Osijek on Saturday.
Irish teams can close the gap with Europe's elite but there's still a lot of work to do.
That's what Westmeath's Lucy McCartan is saying after her Peamount United team won their first Champions League qualifier in Croatia yesterday.
McCartan, who won an All Ireland Intermediate title with the Lake County footballers in 2021, believes there's a big hurdle to overcome when amateur Premier Division clubs take on professional outfits on the continent.
Peamount were 2-1 winners after extra-time against Dinamo Minsk yesterday to book their meeting with Croatian outfit Osijek on Saturday.
Former Mucklagh strike Ellen Dolan opened the scoring for Peamount, with Keri Letmon slotting the winner in the 96th minute.
McCartan says for now, teams like Peamount United will have to rely on their spirit:
The game in Osijek kicks off at 4pm on Saturday.
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