New Saints supervisor Craig Harrison acknowledges it will likely be “robust” to emulate final season’s European exploits however that opponents is not going to be underestimating the Welsh champions.
Saints final season reached the Europa Convention League group levels, the primary home Welsh membership to take action.
Commercial
The Welsh home treble winners start this season’s European marketing campaign subsequent month in opposition to
“It is at all times going to be more durable,” Harrison mentioned of reaching the group levels in Europe for a second successive season.
“Sure you’ve got obtained a bit extra perception, sure we are able to do it however to do it a second time I feel we want to not get too carried away.
“To occur back-to-back could be fairly particular and take some doing.
“We’d have caught a number of folks off guard final yr and other people may need underestimated us.
“We knew, with that the employees and the extent of element we go to and the way arduous we labored, that we had been going to be effectively ready.
Commercial
“Different golf equipment won’t have been the identical as a result of it was ‘little previous TNS.’
“However I think about after final yr whoever will get drawn in opposition to us will see what occurred final yr, look again on the marketing campaign and doubtless assume ‘we have to take them a bit extra severe.'”
After dropping out of final season’s Champions League qualifiers, progress within the Convention League noticed Saints attain the play-off.
A secured qualification for the group levels and created Welsh soccer historical past.
Harrison’s facet confronted Fiorentina, Djurgardens, Astana, Shamrock Rovers, Panathinaikos and Celje within the group stage – their solely victory coming at house in opposition to Kazakhstan’s Astana.
Commercial
“It was a historic second once we obtained by way of after which the primary recreation you play within the group stage is Fiorentina away, which was fairly particular,” Harrison added.
“I feel it labored out very well that we performed Fiorentina away first – it gave us the chance to take pleasure in it, there was no stress on us.
“We did not count on something however gave an excellent account of ourselves and positively did not embarrass ourselves, the membership or Welsh soccer.
“We obtained all the way down to a bit extra enterprise after that and all of the video games had been aggressive and we had been within the video games proper till the top.
“We clearly gained a recreation and presumably ought to have gotten a few attracts in opposition to Celje and Djurgardens.
Commercial
“However we have learnt from it and we have got just about the identical squad and have added 4 or 5 so they seem to be a yr higher off expertise [wise].
“Being at this soccer membership there may be stress from everyone and there is big expectation.
“Sure, we’re a full-time group who have gotten the most important price range and there is no getting away from that however we have got the most important expectations as effectively.
“However in Europe which means nothing as a result of I nonetheless think about we’re backside three when it comes to budgets all through this competitors.
“So there’s nonetheless a niche to shut financially however we proved final yr we are able to do this .. there is no motive why we won’t do it once more.”