Craig Harrison as hungry as ever for European success with The New Saints

The New Saints enter the UEFA Champions League for the 18^th time this season, but a clash with Sabah FK marks the first time that Craig Harrison and his squad face opposition from Azerbaijan.

The Novira Cymru Premier champions head to the Eastern European nation for the first leg on Tuesday 7 July (KO 17:00 BST), with Harrison more than aware of the challenge facing his side as Sabah took the Azerbaijan Premier League title from perennial champions Qarabağ FK last season.

“I think it was probably the toughest of the unseeded teams,” explained Harrison. “You don’t break the monopoly of Qarabağ easily.

“Being away first gives us an opportunity so we know what we have to do. You can watch teams but until you play against them you never really get a feel for how good they are. It’s so important that we stay in the tie and we have experienced players here who know what they have to do.”

During our conversation, Harrison regularly makes reference to Swedish outfit BK Häcken. They were the Saints’ opponents at this stage three years ago. With the opening leg taking place in Sweden, the hosts raced into a two-goal lead inside 13 minutes, eventually winning the tie 5-1 on aggregate. That tie more than any other provides a yardstick for Harrison and the players in his current squad who experienced it.

“That was the most uncomfortable I’ve felt on the sideline ever in my whole career,” he added. “That first half an hour was so tough. It was a great experience, not a positive one, but a good one for me and the team. We’ve still got a few players here that know how that felt, but we’ve also got a fantastic record when we come back to Park Hall, and we will be a challenge for anyone here.”

Reflecting on previous European nights, TNS have faced some established European clubs in recent years, hosting the likes of Ferencváros, Legia Warsaw and Slovan Bratislava amongst others. Harrison is a veteran of preparing for such challenges and believes finding the right balance of friendly opposition and travel is crucial to achieving success.

“For me, it’s the biggest conundrum in preparing for European football,” he explained. “Northern Ireland and Scotland are in a similar position to us, they need games, so we’ve travelled there for friendlies. But these are tough games that come with the risk of injury and fatigue, as well as the travel. Alternatively, we can stay home and play teams from our own domestic game, but are we going to be as well-prepared?

“I’m not a big advocate of summer football, but that’s probably the only way it will change to help our preparations, so we can go into these matches six of seven games into the season. As it is we’ve spent four days in Ireland and two days in Scotland and picked up a couple of knocks. Apart from summer football, I don’t think there’s another glaring answer to the problem.”

In addition to their busy pre-European schedule, The New Saints have also welcomed a number of new signings to the club, including Rhys Hughes from Connah’s Quay Nomads and returning striker Brad Young from Caernarfon Town.

“We’re really pleased with the signings we’ve made,” said Harrison. “We’ve got players with experience and pedigree, but also players like Zach Nolan, who’s got huge potential. We’ve definitely added some quality.”

The New Saints made history in 2024/25 when they became the first club from the Welsh domestic game to reach the League Phase of UEFA competition. Competing against the likes of Fiorentina and Panathinaikos in the Conference League, the experience has raised expectations at the club and has fuelled Harrison’s motivation to consistently repeat that success.

“It was huge and we are striving to do it again,” he explained. “It took a long time to break that glass ceiling, and with such success it’s even harder to do it a second time. If we can get there again within the next three years, in my opinion that would be a good achievement for this football club, and for the whole of Welsh football.”

Despite the success, last season proved difficult for the Saints as they were eliminated from the Champions League at the first hurdle by KF Shkëndija of North Macedonia before exiting the Conference League at the second qualifying round stage against Luxembourg outfit FC Differdange 03. However, Harrison highlighted the fine margins between success and failure when it comes to European competition.

“I’ve been there, I’ve felt it, I understand the quality of teams we’re playing against and we’re progressing year on year. We actually had more possession and more chances against Shkëndija last season than we did against Dečić the year before, we just didn’t convert them.”

A former Premier League defender with Middlesbrough, Harrison initially arrived at TNS in December 2011, and after delivering consistent success made the switch to Hartlepool United in the summer of 2017. He returned to the club in 2022 following spells at Bangor City and Connah’s Quay Nomads and remains committed to delivering on the ambitions set by club owner Mike Harris.

“I love the football club, and I’ve got a real affinity with it,” he explained. “I’m an ambitious person, Mike knows that, and Mike’s an ambitious person and the club is ambitious too. He wouldn’t have brought me back if he thought I was just coming here to pick up a wage or rest on my laurels. But I’m just as hungry as I was the first time around, if not more, because of what we achieved in Europe two years ago.”