FORMER Rangers and Celtic players Andy Halliday and Cillian Sheridan came head to head on the European stage on Thursday as Gabala booked a spot in the Europa League third qualifying round. 

Halliday sealed a loan switch to the Azerbaijani side earlier this summer and has made an immediate impact, helping them secure European progress after knocking out Sheridan’s Jagiellonia Bialystok.

The Polish club, who also feature former Hearts winger Arvydas Novikovas and ex-Partick Thistle defender Ziggy Gordon in their ranks, appeared to be favourites after scoring a precious away goal in a 1-1 first leg draw.

But Halliday’s side booked a clash with Panathinaikos in the next round after a 2-0 away win sealed their progress thanks to goals from Ilgar Gurbanov and Filip Ozobic.

Halliday started the game before being substituted on the 77th minute with his team 1-0 up.

It was the central midfielder's second appearance for his new club, who finished second in Azerbaijan's top-flight last season behind champions Qarabag.

Sheridan, who left Parkhead to join CSKA Sofia in 2010, had helped his side into the second round by scoring a precious away goal in their 5-0 aggregate win over Dinamo Batumi in the opening round. 

The Republic of Ireland international joined Jagiellonia in March and scored eight goals in 14 Ekstraklasa appearances last season.