Pavėžys' opponent – the record holder for victories

2024-08-21 15:16 © Wales Online

"Panevėžys” football club has reached a barrier, beyond which falling would result in a painful drop – instead of the highly anticipated battles in the group stage, only fights on the local front would remain. Nevertheless, the future opponent – Oswestry’s "The New Saints” – lives with the same dream.

Now based in England, near the border with Wales, the team playing in the latter's UEFA member championship is also seeking history. No Welsh club has ever made it to the group stage, and "The New Saints” has its second chance in history.

"Panevėžys” faced its third opponent out of four, which has won the most titles in its country’s leagues. It is true that the Welsh representatives cannot boast of such a history as Finnish or Israeli teams, but they already have 16 titles in their collection. The majority have been won since 2011.

At the end of the last millennium, the club was based in Wales and was named after its sponsor, "Total Network Solutions.” A subsequent merger with "Oswestry Town” and the sponsor's departure led to the new name "The New Saints.” Since 2011, the Welsh flagship has won as many as 11 trophies, the latest of which was achieved in impressive style.

In 32 rounds, the Oswestry club has achieved 30 victories, drawn twice, and gathered 92 points, surpassing its nearest rival by a 33-point advantage. In 2016, "The New Saints” achieved 27 consecutive wins in local competitions and surpassed the previous record set by Amsterdam’s "Ajax” in the 1971–1972 season. The Englishman Craig Harrison, who was at the helm of the team then, is still working with them, though there was a break from 2017 to 2022 when he coached other teams.

Like "Panevėžys,” the Oswestry club played in the first round of the Champions League qualifying matches – the face-off against the Montenegrin team "Dečić” ended 3:0 and 1:1. The coincidences continued in the second round, where they were defeated 1:7 by Budapest’s "Ferencváros,” and in the third round of the Europa League qualifying matches, they lost 0:1 to Moldova’s "Petrocub.” The multiple Welsh champions have faced Lithuanian clubs as well: they lost to Marijampolė's "Sūduva” by 0:1 twice, while "Kauno Žalgiris” was defeated 5:0 and 5:1 in both matches.

Many players have participated in victorious encounters against the Lithuanian team – Ryan Astles, Declan McManus, Daniel Redmond, Leo Smith, Danny Davies, and Jordan Williams. However, the latter will miss the encounter in Vilnius due to receiving a red card.

"Cardiff,” "Swansea,” or the recently famous "Wrexham” – clubs representing Wales but successfully competing in the English football system. TNS has a unique opportunity to bring more attention to itself and Welsh football across Europe and step out from the shadows of much wealthier clubs in the country.

The first encounter between "Panevėžys” and "The New Saints” will take place on August 22, Thursday. The match will start at the LFF stadium at 19:30.