The New Saints have 'proved point' on Conference League debut

However, with two games left in the competition that doesn't look like it is going to happen.

Narrow defeats against giants Fiorentina, Shamrock Rovers and Djurgarden, with a win over Astana sandwiched inbetween gives the Saints a fighting, outside chance of progression.

And boss Craig Harrison believes their collective displays over the four games so far has shown that his players belong at this stage of the competition.

He said: "We are all proud and it shows that we can compete at this level.

"I have said it 100 times and I am sick of saying it, for a strange reason people want us to fail.

"They said against Fiorentina we would get a good hiding and it would be double figures, but none of that has happened.

"And that is down to the strength of the group, of the work rate, the character of the players and the staff.

"And from my point of view I will always be proud. We may have fallen short results wise at this very high level.

"But we have never fallen short in performance and togetherness and the teams attitude and character is the most important thing."

The Saints are the first Cymru Premier side to qualify for this stage of the competition - having spent decades trying to advance through the latter stages of qualifying.

The benefits are being felt not just for the Saints on a financial level - but for the league.

Chairman Mike Harris has donated a considerable amount of prize money to other clubs and the Saints success has boosted Wales in the standings, meaning they will get a fourth qualifying spot back in the coming years.

So there is a desire from the domestic game for TNS to repeat this feat time after time - and for Harrison and his players their desire to become a mainstay at this level has only grown.

"It it doesn't then it should," said Harrison about his players' drive to compete every year.

"We have gone into every game as underdogs and we have always competed and given a good account of ourselves.

"We are being beat by the odd goal yes, and we don't want to be serial losers and we won't just accept that.

"We are putting in good displays and we still want to get through to the top 24, and we have been making sure we have a platform to do that."