Scott Ruscoe rues poor display by The New Saints
Interim boss Scott Ruscoe admitted The New Saints were well below their best in a surprise Champions League loss, writes John Bridgwater.
The Oswestry side were left with plenty to ponder after hopes of progressing were given a jolt following a first leg defeat against FC Europa last night.
Goals in each half from Alex Quillo and Kike Gomez earned the men from Gibraltar a priceless 2-1 lead in the first qualifying round tie at Park Hall.
And it leaves the Welsh Premier champions with a battle on their hands if they are to avoid an early exit when they head to Portugal for Tuesday’s return leg.
Ruscoe admitted his side fell below their usual standards, often struggling to get into their stride on a frustrating night.
“I’m disappointed because that’s not a true reflection of how TNS play and how we’ve done in Europe over the last few years,” he said.
“The Champions League is what we strive to play in year after year, and I’ve talked about how we’ve gradually improved over the years. Maybe you could say we froze, but we just didn’t play our normal game and fell below our peak.
“So I’ve told the lads it hurts me, I hope it hurts them because they’ve not shown a true reflection of how they can play.
“We’ll work on the things that we didn’t do well. We’ll put them right over the next few days and we’ll make sure we give it a good go next Tuesday.”
The Saints could take some heart from a terrific angled strike from Scott Quigley to level matters just before half-time, but for most part they toiled to find a way through a well organised FC Europa side.
“The players have another 20 or 30 per cent there,” added Ruscoe.
“They’ve fallen below their peak but they can go and do it next week.”
It proved a difficult night from the moment Quillo gave the treble winning Gibraltarians an eight minute lead.
Clear cut chances were few and far between for most part, but the Oswestry side were back on terms a minute before half time when Quigley lashed an angled strike past keeper Javi Munoz.
But FC Europa were to have the last word when they grabbed a crucial second goal 12 minutes from time when Gomez curled the ball past Paul Harrison.