TNS boss Craig Harrison happy with progress but still wants more
Head coach Craig Harrison is happy how his first season back in charge of The New Saints has gone and says “we’ve moved forward” – but he thinks it could have been an even better campaign.
Saints, who are away to third-placed Penybont tomorrow (2.30pm), have lost just once in 29 league games so far during the club’s latest championship winning season in the JD Cymru Premier.
The Park Hall side have scored an impressive 101 league goals in the process and are also through to the JD Welsh Cup final later this month.
But Harrison has identified some areas that could have gone better, including an early exit for the club in the Nathaniel MG Cup, when Saints lost on penalties to Connah’s Quay Nomads last August.
Asked if he’s happy overall with how his first season back with the TNS is going, Harrison said: “Yes, I can’t really complain. Obviously, you’d like to be in a position where I think from within eight, 10 weeks of the start of the season, we thought we could possibly go all season without getting beat and obviously we’ve been beat once to date.
“We would have liked to go through in the League Cup, the Nathaniel (MG) Cup, because having two trebles on my CV when I was here previously, it was the standards I set for myself and for the football club.
“Obviously, they didn’t happen, but I think overall we’ve moved forward. I think we’re a better football team now and we control games a little bit better than what we have done and control possession a little bit better.
“And we’ve scored goals, lots of goals. We broke the hundred record on Saturday, away at Newtown, 101, equalling the previous record of 101 with the 16-17 season team, so now we’ve got three domestic games left to try and go and break that record, so I think overall we’ve got to be happy but I still think we could be better.”
