Even looking at The New Saints’ fixture list can make you feel a little out of breath.
Craig Harrison’s side, who are competing in four different competitions, have not had a clear midweek since the start of September. They have played eight games in 29 days in November, while Sunday’s Nathaniel MG Cup semi-final at Barry Town United (KO 17:45) will kick off a run of nine matches in the month of December.
“You’re playing, you’re recovering and then there’s a game again,” Saints captain Danny Redmond says. “We haven’t had much time to train. We are all learning how to cope with it because it’s a new situation for everyone. I think we are starting to deal with it now, so hopefully we can build some good form and see where that takes us.”
With fixtures coming every three to four days, Craig Harrison has needed to regularly rotate his squad in order to ensure freshness.
“The squad depth has been important, we would have struggled otherwise,” Redmond says. “The recruitment was good in the summer, the club brought in the right players. It’s important that everyone sticks together, you might not be playing one game but you need to support the lads because you know you’ll be involved in the next one.”
It has also meant players needing to feature in different positions, with midfielder Redmond being deployed at left-back on occasions this season.
“I used to play left wing-back when I was Wigan, that was my position when I was younger,” he says. “And I stepped in here whenever Chris Marriott was injured in the last few years. So it’s nothing new to me. I don’t really mind where I play as long as I’m playing!”
It has been a massive week for TNS and it isn’t over yet.
Last Saturday, they hosted JD Cymru Premier title rivals Penybont and found themselves 2-0 down at half-time – a result which would have seen them sit seven points adrift of Bont at the top of the table. However, the Saints staged a superb second half comeback to triumph 3-2, with Redmond scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute with a perfectly placed strike from the edge of the box.
“I would have taken a tap in!” he laughs. “The ball fell nicely for me and to see it hit the net in such a big game, to earn us the three points, it was a great feeling. Hopefully we can build on that now. We want to keep winning and get to that top spot in the league table.”
Victory over Bont was followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat to Djurgarden in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night, but the Saints have no time to mope as they prepare for Sunday’s cup semi-final at Jenner Park.
“We know what Barry are like, we’ve obviously played them a lot of times over the years,” Redmond says. “They always stick together and give everything. It’s a cup semi-final, they’ll have nothing to lose and I’m sure they’ll throw the kitchen sink at us, but we need to stand up to that.
Redmond was named as TNS captain in the summer following the departure of Chris Marriott and it is a role that the 33-year-old is relishing.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. To captain the team when we’ve qualified for Europe for the first time and lead the boys out on such big occasions, it’s a very proud moment for me and my family.”
With the Nathaniel MG Cup final on the final weekend of February, it could present Redmond with the chance to lift his first piece of silverware as Saints skipper.
“It’s massive at TNS to be winning trophies, we have high expectations and high standards. Winning that first trophy of the season is always important because hopefully it can help us go on to win the league and the Welsh Cup too. We know how difficult it is, but winning the treble has to be the aim this season.”
