By David Williams
Craig Harrison has urged his New Saints side not to get too down-hearted after they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Shamrock Rovers in their latest Europa Conference League tie.
TNS had led 1-0 but the Irish side came from behind to beat the Cymru Premier champions at Tallaght Stadium.
Craig Harrison shared his thoughts, following the 2-1 defeat in Dublin. pic.twitter.com/N0lLaV6lib
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It means the Saints have three points at the midway stage of the league phase of the tournament ahead of matches against Djurgarden, Panathinaikos and Celje.
“We’ve performed well in patches of the game,” said Harrison.
“If we’d have got through to half time in front or at 1-1, it might have been a different story.
“You’ve got to be honest, I thought Shamrock Rovers deserved to win on the night.
“At this level, it’s only our third game, so it’s really important that we don’t get too down and negative.”
After Jordan Williams had given TNS an early lead in Dublin, Johnny Kenny soon equalised before in-form Dylan Watts turned the game around ahead of half-time.
Rovers had missed out on a fifth successive Premier Division triumph last week, finishing runners-up as Shelbourne clinched the title, but made a bright start to their latest European tie as Kenny and Aaron McEneff both fired chances wide.
TNS – who became the first Welsh Premier side to take points at the group stage of a major European competition by beating Kazakhstan outfit Astana 2-0 in Shrewsbury last time out – went ahead against the run of play in the 15th minute.
Ryan Brobbel picked the ball up wide on the right before sending a cross through the penalty area, and veteran winger Williams drilled past goalkeeper Leon Pohls from close range.
Shamrock, who beat Larne 4-1 in Belfast in their last Conference League fixture, were soon back on level terms in the 23rd minute.
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Neil Farrugia flicked Watts’ pass on into the penalty area, where Kenny barged past TNS defender Danny Davies to fire the ball in off the underside of the crossbar.
The Irish side then completed the turnaround seven minutes before half-time.
Following a spell of sustained pressure, the ball was worked down the right and back out to Darragh Burns, who floated a cross over to the far post where Watts converted from close range for a fifth goal in his last seven games.
TNS continued to soak up plenty of pressure in the second half – with Watts weaving into the penalty area, then scooping his shot over the crossbar – before finally managing a spell of possession themselves just after the hour mark as Leo Smith drilled a long-range effort wide.
Shamrock, though, saw through the closing stages to pick up another European win, which keeps themselves firmly in contention for the knockout stages.