The New Saints and Haverfordwest County take the next steps on their European journeys this week as both clubs compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round.
Craig Harrison’s side come up against Swift Hesperange of Luxembourg, after both teams were defeated in their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round ties over the last fortnight.
TNS lost 5-1 on aggregate to Swedish champions BK Häcken, ultimately coming undone by early goals in both legs despite spirited performances in the two games.
Last season’s top scorer Declan McManus and fellow dangerman Danny Redmond both played no part in the second leg at Park Hall due to injury, so Harrison will hope to have the pair back in contention this week.
“Bringing in the Europa Conference League is a better format for the lower-ranked teams, it gives them a second bite,” Harrison said in his pre-match press conference.
“Swift Hesperange were convincing champions last year and they have strengthened, so it is going to be a very tough game.”
This is only the third season in Swift Hesperange’s history in which they are competing in European football after they won the Luxembourg National Division Title for the first time in 2022/23.
They have failed to win any of their previous three European ties, losing 3-1 on aggregate to Slovan Bratislava in this year’s UEFA Champions League first qualifying round.
A number of Hesperange’s squad have been capped by Luxembourg at international level, while winger Lado Akhalaia came through Inter Milan’s academy and is on loan from Torino. Captain Dominik Stolz scored in the first leg against Slovan Bratislava before missing a penalty in the second.
The first leg of the tie takes place at Park Hall on Tuesday 25 July (KO 19:00 BST) before the second leg on Tuesday 1 August (KO 19:00 BST) at Stade de Luxembourg. The winner will meet either North Macedonia’s FC Struga or Budućnost Podgorica of Montenegro in the third qualifying round.
Meanwhile, Haverfordwest County will be hoping to create more history in their tie against B36 Tórshavn of the Faroe Islands.
The Bluebirds progressed to this stage in dramatic style, beating North Macedonia’s FK Shkëndija on penalties in the first qualifying round – the club’s first ever European victory.
Following a 1-0 defeat away from home in the first leg, Lee Jenkins scored in the 89th minute of the second leg at the Cardiff City Stadium to level the tie before goalkeeper Zac Jones was the hero in the shootout as he saved two spot-kicks.
“There’s no need to fear anyone,” Jazz Richards said after the second leg win over Shkëndija. “We’ve got a lot more to show, we didn’t play great football tonight, it’s not what our football is based on.
“But we went in with a gameplan and it’s so important that we take this confidence into the next games and see what we can do in the Faroe Islands.”
B36 Tórshavn are 11-time champions of the Faroe Islands, most recently in 2015, and have been European regulars over the last two decades. In 2015/16 they lost 6-2 on aggregate to TNS in the UEFA Champions League but got their revenge with a penalty shootout win over the Oswestry outfit in the UEFA Europa League three years ago.
B36 qualified for this season’s UEFA Europa Conference League after finishing fourth in 2022, but sit second in the current campaign. They needed extra-time to defeat Estonian side Paide Linnameeskond in the first qualifying round, eventually winning 2-0 on aggregate.
The squad is almost exclusively made up of players from Faroe Islands, with four included in the latest national team squad in June. Striker Valerijs Sabala, who joined in March, has 12 goals in 53 caps for Latvia.
The first leg of the tie takes place at the Gundadalur Stadium on Thursday 27 July (KO 19:00 BST) before the second leg on Thursday 3 August (KO 19:45 BST) at the Cardiff City Stadium. The winner will meet either HNK Rijeka of Croatia or Kosovo’s KF Dukagjini in the third qualifying round.
