The New Saints stand on the brink of history ahead of their UEFA Conference League Play-Off second leg against FK Panevezys on Thursday (KO 18:30).
The JD Cymru Premier champions won 3-0 in the first leg away in Lithuania last week and if they can defend that lead at Park Hall they will become the first Welsh club to reach the league (formerly group) stage of a major European competition.
The Saints dominated their opponents in the first leg, with goals from Danny Davies, Dan Williams and Ben Clark earning them a crucial advantage.
With both of their league fixtures postponed over the bank holiday weekend, Craig Harrison’s side have had a full week to focus on arguably the biggest game in their history.
The club have only been in this position once before, when they took on CSKA Sofia in the UEFA Europa League Play-Off round in 2010/11. However on that occasion, they lost 3-0 away from home in the first leg before a 2-2 draw at home a week later.
Progression should certainly not be taken for granted, with Panevezys also aiming to reach a group/league stage for the first time and become only the second Lithuanian club to do so after FK Zalgiris two years ago.
Panevezys have drawn 1-1 away to Dainava Alytus in league action since last week’s first leg and they remain bottom of Lithuania’s top division after 25 games of the season.
Craig Harrison made sure not to get ahead of himself after the convincing first leg victory, saying: “It’s only half-time. We’ve got to make sure our emotions are in check and we don’t take anything for granted.
“From a football point of view, we have to make sure we do the right things between now and next week, which is possibly one of the biggest weeks in the club’s history.”
Tickets can be purchased for Thursday’s potentially historic fixture at Park Hall by clicking here. Live stream details can be found on The New Saints’ club website.
