Group stages remain the goal for Saints and boss Harrison

New Saints were beaten by Swift Hesperange in last season's Europa Conference League after exiting the Champions League in the first qualifying round

For all their domination of Welsh domestic football over a decade and more, The New Saints have found Europe a far tougher frontier.

Saints will embark on their latest European adventure next week and will face FK Decic of Montenegro in the Uefa Champions League first qualifying round.

The Cymru Premier champions will play the first leg of their first qualifying round tie at home on 9 July, with the second leg away on 16 July.

Saints chairman Mike Harris has made no secret of his ambition of becoming the first Welsh club to reach the group stages of a European club competition.

“That’s ultimately the goal and has been from the day I came back in,” Saints manager Craig Harrison said.

“The moment I came back to the club, me and Mike spoke long about it and where he wanted to be, how we wanted to get there and how we were going to get there

“We’re building again and strengthening the squad and have got more competition than we ever have right across the pitch.

“So we hope we’re closer.”

Harrison, a former Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace player, was the man Saints appointed for a second spell in August 2022.

The club had parted company with Anthony Limbrick after disappointing results in Europe had seen them exit both the Champions League and Europa Conference League early on.

“Generally at the football club there’s pressure,” Harrison told BBC Sport Wales.

“Domestically there’s pressure. I know we’ve been quite dominant but there’s still a pressure because if you lose a games it’s disastrous - even if you draw a game it’s disastrous.

“The standards that have been set in what’s expected at the football club from Mike and the board down to myself and the players.

“It doesn’t have to be spelt out – everybody expects us to win every game which brings its own pressure.”

Saints finished 33 points ahead of second-placed Connah’s Quay Nomads last season to secure the title for a 16th time and also won the Nathaniel MG Cup.

Although they were beaten by Airdrie in the Scottish Challenge Cup final and by Nomads in the Welsh Cup final, Saints were unbeaten in the league during the season.

“I think the big thing was that it’s something we’ve not achieved at the football club before,” Harrison said of the unbeaten league campaign.

“It’s really important to keep pushing those standards and keep extending your goals, keep striving and not letting complacency get in the way.

“We were bitterly disappointed to get beaten in the [Scottish] Challenge Cup final and the Welsh Cup final and I don’t think we showed the best of us on both occasions.

“You look at the Welsh Cup, we had a lot of players injured but we were bitterly disappointed we couldn’t go on and win all four.”

The close season, inevitably, has seen changes at Park Hall with two key components of the club’s domination moving on.

Midfielder Jon Routledge departs after eight years with the club, during which time he won six league titles and three Welsh Cups.

Saints stalwart Chris Marriott has joined Connah's Quay Nomads

Left-back Chris Marriott is the most decorated player in the club’s history, having won 26 trophies in 15 years with the club and made more than 500 appearances, but has since joined Connah’s Quay Nomads.

“Chris was already here when I first came – he’d been here two or three years,” Harrison said.

“He probably had opportunities on numerous occasions to move on to play in the English system and he could play in the Football League without a shadow of doubt.

“He decided to stay here, enjoyed his 14 years here. He’s been club captain for five or six years, played a lot of games and been part of the furniture.

“We were close to getting something agreed but it never quite suited Chris, so he decided to move on and from a personal point of view we wish him all the luck in the world.

“I do think for three or four seasons, Jon was the best player in the league and I think he’d be right up there in the best 11 in the league and the best 11 in TNS.

“He was an absolutely fantastic player and it just got to the time where Jon wanted to play more minutes, and he’s moved on and will still do a fantastic job for someone.

“He’s up there as one of the best players I’ve signed at the football club and also managed.”

Notable arrivals over the summer have included centre-back Harrison McGahey from National League side Oldham Athletic and midfielder Sion Bradley from Caernarfon Town.

Bradley makes the switch to full-time football after an impressive season in which he helped Caernarfon secure European football for the first time and was named Cymru Premier player of the season.

“Sion’s a very attacking player and he fits quite comfortably,” Harrison added.

“He can play off either side of the wing, he can play as a 10 and he fits into our mould, into our ethos and into our style.

“Sion’s a great addition and he adds huge competition in those attacking areas.”