Disappointed boss Mike Davies felt The New Saints failed to seize a golden opportunity as their hopes of progressing in this season’s Europa League hang in the balance.

Despite taking the lead through Alex Darlington, the Saints were pegged back by a terrific strike from Barry Johnston to finish 1-1 with Cliftonville in the first round, first leg qualifier at Park Hall

And it leaves the Oswestry men with plenty to do if they hope to keep their flag flying when they head to Belfast next Thursday for the return leg, with the winners facing Danish side FC Midtjylland in the second round.

Although still in the hunt, Davies admitted TNS will need to step up their game in front of a sell out 2,000 crowd at Cliftonville next week.

“We’re disappointed as we felt we let ourselves down with the performance.” he said. “We started well, got the goal but after that we stopped playing and became very sloppy.

“We fell short of our usual high standards, we started giving the ball away cheaply and were punished. As a team, everyone must take responsibility. Our heads seemed to drop a bit after they scored.

“Cliftonville dominated the centre of midfield but, even without playing well, we still had some fantastic chances in which to win the game.”

Davies, however, is still backing his side, a: “We need to show a lot more character next week, but it’s still all to play for. We’ve been in this situation before, and it’s a tie we can still win.”

Striker Matty Williams will return to boost the cause next Thursday after being suspended for last night’s first leg following his sending off against CSKA Sofia last year. l Report – Page 55.

By JOHN BRIDGWATER