Saints have chance 'to get own back' over Shkendija

Rory Holden celebrates after scoring for Saints against Decic in last season's Champions League qualifiers

Champions League First Qualifying Round First Leg: The New Saints v KF Shkendija

Venue: Park Hall, Oswestry Date: Tuesday, 8 July Kick-off: 19:00 BST

Coverage: Listen live on BBC Radio Shropshire and on BBC Sport website and app.

Boss Craig Harrison believes The New Saints have unfinished business after being drawn against KF Shkendija of North Macedonia in the Champions League qualifiers.

Saints met Shkendija in the competition's first qualifying round in 2018.

After losing the first leg 5-0 in Skopje, the Cymru Premier champions secured a 4-0 win in the second leg at Park Hall but ultimately fell short, losing 5-4 on aggregate.

Harrison had left his first spell as Saints manager the previous year but says some of his staff and current players who played in the game remember the game well.

"The way it happened, to get well beaten heavily out there and to win heavily at home and not scrape through by one goal, then I imagine it was a tough night to face," Harrison told BBC Sport Wales.

"It's an opportunity to get our own back if you like.

"Obviously I wasn't at the club at the time but the club itself will want to try and go one step further and try and get through that first round against Shkendija.

"It's going to a really tough game and a tough game out there – it's going to be really hot and humid and it will be like it was in Montenegro against Decic."

Decic were the side Saints beat 4-1 over two legs in last season's first qualifying round and although the Welsh champions exited the competition in the following round they dropped into the Europa Conference League and created history.

Saints became the first Welsh domestic side to reach the group stages of a European competition and Harrison acknowledged it will be "tough" to emulate last season's exploits.

Harrison's side will be at home in the first leg on Tuesday, 8 July with the second leg in North Macedonia a week later.

Shkendija were champions of North Macedonia for a fifth time last season and in 2023 were knocked out of the Europa Conference League by Haverfordwest County.

Should Saints progress, they will face either FCSB of Romania or Andorra's Inter Club d'Escaldes in the second qualifying round.

Teams losing in the Champions League qualifiers will drop into the Europa Conference League.

Saints have added to their squad during the close season with Ken Charles, Jacob Owen, Jack Nadin, Nathan Shepperd and Dominic Corness joining the Welsh domestic treble winners.

But the headline signing has been that of 23-year-old striker Ben Wilson from Scottish Championship side Airdrieonians for a club-record fee.