The New Saints put in another spirited and determined display in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night but it was Shamrock Rovers that claimed the points at Tallaght Stadium with a 2-1 victory.
“I thought Shamrock Rovers deserved to win on the night,” explained TNS head coach Craig Harrison to Sgorio. “At this level of football everything has to go for you, you can’t afford to make any mistakes and you have to take every opportunity you get. As a group we’ve learnt from every European game, we’ll take the positives and go again.”
Shamrock Rovers headed into the tie on four points following their opening two UEFA Conference League fixtures having drawn 1-1 with APOEL and convincingly winning 4-1 against Larne. By comparison, TNS were just a point behind having claimed a famous 2-0 win over Astana after a respectable 2-0 defeat away to Fiorentina. Both teams sat in the play-off places before kick-off.
Harrison emphasised before the match that both teams would see the match as an opportunity to add to their respective points tally, but it was the home side who put their stamp on the early exchanges as they dominated possession. However, efforts on goal from Celtic-loanee Johnny Kenny and Aaron McEneff did little to trouble goalkeeper Connor Roberts.
Harrison has clearly drilled a European game plan into his squad. Shamrock Rovers head coach Stephen Bradley highlighted the clear identity of their opponents in the build-up and there was familiarity in their system from the games against Fiorentina and Astana. Well-organised at the back, TNS defended in numbers to restrict their opponents to long-range efforts, while still being deceptively effective on the counter-attack.
Despite the home side looking relatively comfortable with the majority of possession, The New Saints were allowed to show their attacking credentials and took the lead after 14 minutes. A deflected header from Declan McManus forced goalkeeper Leon Pöhls to make a fine save, but the resulting cross from Ryan Brobbel was flicked on by McManus into the path of Jordan Williams and put the visitors ahead with a well-taken first-time strike.
Shamrock Rovers responded well to the setback, and it was Kenny who capitalised on a neat flick from Neil Farrugia to finish past Roberts at the midway point in the half. McManus almost restored the lead but he could only stretch for a ball across the box and Pöhls made a comfortable save. Shamrock Rovers would then take the lead minutes before half-time as a perfect ball from Darragh Burns was converted by Dylan Watts at the far post.
With the momentum in their favour, Shamrock Rovers looked to build on their lead and dominated from the restart. Keeping possession and creating more opportunities, it was crucial that TNS didn’t concede a third. Harrison’s side had to defend for their lives on times, and while the visitors came close, they could not extend their advantage before the final whistle.
“Obviously there’s the disappointment of the defeat,” said Williams to Sgorio after the match. “The goal was a special moment for myself. To go ahead we want to get something out of the game, but it just wasn’t to be. We worked really hard and played really well, so it was unfortunate.”
With more than three times as many efforts on goal it was a deserved win for Shamrock Rovers. Now at the midway point of the campaign, TNS face Djurgårdens IF and Panathinaikos at home as well as a trip to Slovenia to take on NK Celje.
Currently on three points, a play-off place remains a possibility for the JD Cymru Premier champions, but tonight has shown the gritty reality of just how tough the demands at this level of European football really are.
