Welsh champions The New Saints needed to ship a participant into Tuesday’s Champions League tie towards Shkendija together with his squad quantity written on the again of his shirt with a ballpoint pen.
TNS inked their place in historical past final yr once they made it to the group spherical of the Uefa Convention League – the primary time a Welsh league facet had reached that stage of a European competitors.
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However the Saints made their mark differently of their first European tie of the brand new season as a blood spill left them scrambling for a spare shirt of their Champions League qualifier towards Shkendija.
In first-half added time of the primary qualifying spherical first leg fixture at Park Corridor, TNS employees have been seen writing the quantity 18 on the again of a substitute shirt for midfielder Rory Holden.
Holden’s authentic jersey was left coated in blood following an incident earlier within the first half.
And it has been confirmed referee Rob Hennessy knowledgeable the Saints that Holden – – whose purpose helped the membership to a Convention League group stage win over Astana final season – wanted to go away the pitch to swap his shirt.
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With the spare jersey having no title or quantity on the rear, membership employees needed to write Holden’s quantity on the again of the shirt so he may return to the sphere of play.
The makeshift quantity was not wanted for lengthy, with the half-time whistle sounding quickly after and Holden reappearing for the second half with the usual printed title and quantity.
Holden was withdrawn within the eightieth minute of the Shkendija recreation, which ended goalless.
The return leg takes place in Skopje on Tuesday, 15 July (19:00 BST) with a second qualifying spherical tie towards FCSB of Romania or Andorra’s Inter Membership d’Escaldes awaiting the winners.
Rory Holden joined The New Saints from Port Vale in 2023 [Getty Images]
Craig Harrison’s Saints are bidding to achieve the correct rounds of the competitors for the primary time of their historical past having progressed to the group levels of the Convention League final season.
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Talking after the primary leg draw with North Macedonia-based Shkendija, TNS boss Harrison stated: “It was a fairly even recreation possession-wise however I feel we created the higher alternatives. Within the first half we had three or 4 alternatives that we must always have achieved higher with.
“Within the second half we had an enormous probability and it is a good save by the goalkeeper to be truthful, he is an enormous lad and he is received his entire body out and saved it out.
“Perhaps a 1-0 win in all probability would have been deserved on alternatives. I am pleased with the clear sheet however just a little bit dissatisfied that we could not rating a purpose.”