Hat-trick hero loved 'special' TNS goals
Mike Wilde savoured his hat-trick as The New Saints eased into the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League with a 4-1 rout of Torshavn.
The striker's four goals over the two legs sealed a comfortable 6-2 aggregate win as TNS march on to face Hungarian side Videoton. The first leg will be at home next Tuesday.
After the win at Park Hall Stadium, he said: "First and foremost, the performance was what we wanted and the goals were a bonus.
"Even to grab one in the Champions League is fantastic, but to get three is something special.
"We started really well. We had a plan, we had a remit and the lads stuck to it and got the reward – and now we go on to the next phase.
"We've had big occasions before against Liverpool and Man City and I was involved in those with TNS, and this is up there with that."
Welsh Premier secretary Gwyn Derfel reckons the Saints' emphatic Champions League victory shows that league standards are improving.
The Oswestry-based Saints swept aside the Faroe Islanders to win both legs of a Champions League tie for the first time.
With Newtown having also defeated Maltese club Valletta in the Europa League last week, Derfel had double reason to be optimistic about the domestic game in Wales.
He said: "It shows we're becoming competitive on the European stage, which is obviously very important for our national league.
"These results have won more coefficient points for Wales which, hopefully, will make things easier when it comes to seedings in future years for Welsh clubs."
Videoton, who have been crowned champions of Hungary for the second time, are likely to provide a far sterner test than the Faroe Islanders.
