The New Saints have the opportunity to complete an incredible season with the domestic treble on Sunday when they take on Connah’s Quay Nomads in the JD Welsh Cup Final at Rodney Parade (KO 16:00).
For Head Coach Craig Harrison, victory would not only earn him his 20th trophy with The New Saints, but cement the status of his current squad as the best in the history of the domestic game in Wales.
The season began for the JD Cymru Premier champions with a friendly against Gresford Athletic on 15 June 2024, and Sunday’s showpiece will be their 66th and final match of this history-making campaign.
2025 JD Welsh Cup Final
“It’s been an unbelievable journey,” Harrison told FAW.cymru this week. “There’s been lots of highs and obviously there’s been lows too because we’ve been beaten more than what we’ve ever been beaten before.
“But I’m immensely proud of all the players, all the staff and all the people behind the scenes. For everyone that’s been on the journey with us, it’s been a roller-coaster and it’s really tough when we’re playing a game almost every three days.”
European history
Harrison is of course referencing his squad making history by becoming the first team from the Welsh domestic game to reach the League Phase of a major European competition.
The UEFA Conference League campaign saw The New Saints compete against the elite of the European game while juggling their domestic responsibilities, and despite the challenges, they are just one win away from completing the treble.
“It’s always hard when you experience something for the first time,” Harrison explained. “For a lot of the players it was a shock to the system, but also for the staff and for the people off the pitch as well because of the organisation that goes into having a match day event every three days.”
A 2-1 victory over Connah’s Quay Nomads on New Year’s Eve was match number 50 of the season for The New Saints, but they have lost just one more game in all competitions ahead of Sunday’s final.
Now in his second spell at The New Saints, Harrison has achieved unparalleled success at Park Hall, and they will become the first club to complete the domestic treble three times with a victory on Sunday having previously achieved the feat in 2015 and 2016.
However, a third treble has proved elusive through JD Welsh Cup Final defeats against Bala Town in 2017 and Connah’s Quay Nomads last season. Sunday offers an opportunity for closure and the chance to celebrate more unprecedented success.
“I remember getting beaten by Bala in 2017,” said Harrison. “That stayed with me until we beat them in the final two years ago. So we have a great opportunity to put right the defeat against Connah’s Quay last year.
“The players are excited for it, we’ve still got a lot of players that were playing that day and they’ve still got a tiny little bit to do to prove that they’re the best the club has ever seen. If we can win, then they will concrete themselves as that for all that we’ve achieved.”
Communication key to success
A former player with Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace before injury ended his career, Harrison, 47, initially joined The New Saints in December 2012 and completed the double with the club that season.
His subsequent success brought him to the attention of Hartlepool United in 2017, but after spells at Bangor City and Connah’s Quay Nomads, he returned to Park Hall in 2022.
The most decorated manager in the club’s history, Harrison highlighted his relationship with owner Mike Harris as the catalyst to their success.
2025 JD Welsh Cup Final
“I’ve spent the majority of my of coaching career here and it’s been brilliant,” he explained. “I’m very fortunate that I’ve got a really good relationship with Mike Harris, Ian Williams (Chief Operating Officer) and Helen Harris (Financial Director) as well.
“I think it’s really key that you’ve got these good relationships. It doesn’t always go the way you want, sometimes you get told no and sometimes you have difficult conversations when you get beat.
“But me and Mike always speak to each other every Sunday. There’s a lot to be said about good communication between your owner and manager. He gives me the power to run the football side of it how I’d like to, and after so many years he trusts me to do that.
“I think that’s been key to our success and the longevity, as that travels across the different departments, and the players see that we’ve got strong relationship. I don’t think there’s anything more powerful at a football club.”
The JD Welsh Cup will no doubt dominate the conversations between owner and manager this week, and while the Nomads finished eighth in the JD Cymru Premier table, Harrison will not be taking their opponents for granted.
“They’ve got good experienced players,” he explained. “I know that they’re very good players, very good professionals. They’re going to be disappointed about where they finished this season as in my opinion, with their squad, they should be finishing around fourth place.
“From the players point of view they’ve got good professionals, really good lads that you would want in the trenches with you when the chips are down, so for them it’s an ideal opportunity if we’re not on it for them to claw their season back by qualifying for Europe and to win another trophy. We need to make sure that we’re on it and there’s no complacency whatsoever.”
The next chapter
Although the finish line for the current season is very much in sight, retaining the JD Cymru Premier title means a return to the UEFA Champions League qualifiers for The New Saints next season.
After a marathon campaign, Harrison is keen for everyone at the club to come back refreshed and ready to do it all again, in just a few weeks time.
“I’ve recommended that all our staff have a good two or three weeks off,” he added. “They need to do it. We’ll back around 22 or 23 days after the cup final, so they’ve got 3 weeks to recover. I’m certainly going to be away for all that time, but as you know the phone will always be on.
“It’s an 11 month season, and if we’re going to be able to kick on again next season myself, the staff and the players need a good two weeks off, away from everybody, and go and relax and spend some time with the family.”
For Harrison, delivering the JD Welsh Cup to Park Hall would certainly aid that rest and recovery time, but the next challenge is never too far away for the most successful club in the history of the domestic game.
