Craig Harrison upbeat on Euro hopes after close defeat

A deflected 20th-minute effort from the edge of the penalty area by Donalio Douanla proved the difference between the sides in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

The teams will meet again in Oswestry next Tuesday, with Saints striving to make history by becoming the first JD Cymru Premier club to qualify for the league phase of a European competition.

Asked if he feels it’s a case that his side are still in the game, Harrison responded: “Yes, it certainly is, isn’t it – one goal down and that’s a deflection.

“I don’t think Connor Roberts had another save to make. The possession’s really tight. I think we’ve both had six shots each, and one on target each.

“Obviously, we would like to create more, we got into some good positions, just a little bit different decision making.

“But to come away from home and to be disappointed that we’re going 1-0 down, and the manner of the goal, it’s a wicked deflection. “I don’t think Connor didn’t even need to pick it up. He could have stopped it with his feet never mind his hands. Jack Bodenham’s instinct as a defender, he’s headed it, and it’s spun up and went straight in the top corner.

“We’re due a little bit of luck with one of them and hopefully next week at Park Hall we’ll get our little bit of luck that we’re due.”

Saints had their chances in the first leg, with Ryan Brobbel and Danny Davies both going close in the first half, before Brad Young was close to connecting with a cross from Jordan Marshall. Ben Clark curled an effort off target and Declan McManus had a low shot saved by the home goalkeeper in the closing stages.

Looking ahead to the return leg at Park Hall, Harrison added: “We’re not going to say we’re going to go for the jugular for the first 20 minutes because if we get a goal scored past us in the first 20 minutes at home it’s a mountain to climb.

“We’ve got to be professional, we’ve got to be disciplined and we’ve got to come into the game the way we came into the game tonight. And a little bit more quality in the final third, maybe a little more luck that I think we’re due, and then we’ve got an opportunity to go through.”

The winners of the tie will face a Europa League play-off against the winners of the third qualifying round tie between Qarabag of Azerbaijan and Bulgarian side Ludogorets Razgrad.

Should TNS lose to FC Petrocub, they would go into a Conference League play-off against the losers of the Europa League third qualifying round tie between Lithuania’s FK Panevezys and Maccabi Tel-Aviv of Israel.

Meanwhile, three of Saints’ opening five JD Cymru Premier matches of the new league season have been postponed owing to their ongoing involvement in European competition.

This Sunday’s home match against Caernarfon Town, which had been scheduled to be Saints’ league opener, will now be rearranged because of next Tuesday’s second leg against FC Petrocub.

With Saints set to compete in the play-off round of either the Europa League or Conference League, the trip to Connah’s Quay Nomads, originally scheduled for Friday, August 23, has been postponed, and so has the match against Aberystwyth Town at Park Hall seven days later.

But the league matches against Flint Town United on August 16, which will now be the start of the club’s defence of their league title, and also Briton Ferry Llansawel on August 26 will go ahead as originally planned.