History Will Be Fine For The New Saints . . . But Winning Will Be Better

Craig Harrison, Head Coach of The New Saints. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

History Will Be Fine For The New Saints . . . But Winning Will Be Better

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By David Williams

With 21 goals in their last two games The New Saints will go into their historic first home game against FC Astana in the Group stages of the UEFA Conference League on Thursday full of attacking intent.

But it was a similar situation before they faced Serie A giants Fiorentina in their first game at the start of the month, when they headed to Italy on the back of a 6-1 win at Newtown.

Having frustrated the home side for the best part of an hour they eventually fell to a 2-0 defeat but showed enough in that game to give tonight’s opponents, Kazak club Astana, plenty to think about before they lock horns at Shrewsbury Town’s New Meadow stadium.

“It’s huge and it’s going to be historic,” was the way in which TNS boss Craig Harrison described the second of six games his Welsh champions will play in the Group stage.

“This game is as big, if not bigger, than the game in Fiorentina because it will be our first at this stage at home.

“I was extremely proud of the effort in Italy against a massive football club, although there was a tinge of disappointment at losing 2-0.

“It was an extremely proud and professional performance that day and we have been looking forward since then to seeing what the next five games can bring.”

One man who can’t wait for the challenge against the side that finished second in the top league in Kazakhstan last season is Bradford City loanee Adam Wilson.

He scored four times last weekend in the JD Welsh Cup win over Llangollen Town in what ended up being a record-equaling 16-0 triumph at Park Hall.

That came at the end of a week when he had been on international duty with Kenya for their two games against Cameroon.

Now, he will be lining up against different international opposition as he hopes to keep firing home the goals to create even more history for TNS.

“We were clinical in and around the box last weekend and it was a great result for us. I was certainly happy to get some goals,” said the 24-year-old Wilson.

“I can’t remember the la time I scored a hat-trick, so to get four was great. Now we have a very big game against Astana and we are definitely looking to get a positive result.”

The Conference League clash is sandwiched in between that big home cup win over Llangollen Town and a trip to Aberystwyth Town on Sunday in the JD Cymru Premier league Astana arrive on the back of a nine match unbeaten run that includes a 1-0 home win over the Serbian side FK TSC in their opening Group stage game.

For TNS, it will be their 10th European fixture this year.

The pedigree of Astana is easy to see, given they had won the Kazak title seven times in the previous nine campaigns before last season’s runners-up finish.

They currently stand in third place with a game in hand on the top two teams in this season’s league.

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