Following the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign, The New Saints FC’s chairman, Mike Harris, pens an open letter to fans and partners reflecting on the season, and looks ahead to what’s to come at Park Hall next year.

It has been a terrific season of growth for The New Saints FC on and off the field, and despite not getting over the line in the JD Welsh Cup final last weekend, I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved this season. Reflecting on the cup final, it was a day where we didn’t show the very best version of ourselves on the pitch, and we were ultimately beaten by a Connah’s Quay Nomads side who were worthy winners. Whilst disappointed, we will use it as fuel to reclaim the cup next season and won’t let it dampen what has been a historic campaign for Craig and the team. 

Looking back to last summer when our men’s first team season began with another European campaign,  whilst we didn’t achieve our goals on the field in terms of progressing in the competition, we can take lots of positives away from that part of the campaign. I know Craig, the lads and myself included will never make excuses, but  we can count ourselves mighty unlucky with the draw we received in the UEFA Champions League. BK Häcken were the toughest team we could face on paper, and in any other year, they’d have joined us in the seeded pot. When you look at what Häcken went on to achieve, I think there are so many positives we can take from that tie heading into our European campaign in 2024/2025.

We were largely competitive throughout both legs, scoring an outstanding goal to level the first leg and our style of football throughout the tie was very impressive. Whilst not the result we were after, it shows our growth in the past 20 years that we went toe-to-toe with a team of that quality and budget, we scored a very good goal and caused them problems, while TNS teams of the past might’ve been protecting ourselves from a heavy defeat. 

Injuries played an impact on our ability to qualify further in the UEFA Europa Conference League but we take it on the chin, take the positives and put all our energy into Europe when the campaign kicks off in July. We have signed some top players who will be firing on all cylinders to look to fulfill our goal of making the group stage of one of the three competitions. 

Since then, what a season it has been, lifting two domestic trophies, reaching all four possible domestic finals and playing some of the best football in the club’s history along the way. In the Nathaniel MG Cup final, we faced a new challenge of taking on Swansea City’s U21s in the final this year and I think we surprised everyone with the way we performed in that final. The fact we can outperform a team who have potential players to play in the EFL Championship highlights the quality within our ranks and I was delighted with what we achieved in that competition this year. 

Likewise in the SPFL Trust Trophy, we dispatched some reputable top teams from Scotland on our way to the final, where we were left gutted to not win the final against Airdrie in a game I felt we were the better side on the day and proudly flew the flag for our domestic league. We missed a couple of key chances that would’ve changed the outcome of the result, but I was immensely proud of Craig, his staff, the players and the incredible support that day. It leaves promising signs that next year we’ll go one better and get our hands on the trophy. 

I couldn’t reflect on the season without talking about our INVINCIBLE league season, which is a quite magnificent feat for everyone connected with the football club. I think the style in which we played this year and the goals we scored was personally the most pleasing for me, emulating Barry Town’s success in the process but scoring more goals in less matches! Also huge credit to Craig and his staff for keeping everyone motivated despite the job being done so early in the year, the application shown was influential to remaining unbeaten and dropping points in just two league matches. Congratulations to the players,  this squad can take great pride and the memories of this season will live with them for the rest of their lives and a story they will tell their grandchildren that they were part of something so successful.

Elsewhere, there’s been progression for our women’s team lifting the Genero Adran Premier Plate, albeit I know the ambition was to qualify in the top half of the divisional split. Some key injuries were detrimental to us achieving that this year. Next season we know we can improve by 2-3 league places without too much adjustment, and with continued investment, we can aim to rise to the top echelons of the division in line with our ambition of being Wales’ leading women’s football club.

Meanwhile our men’s academy sides all continue to perform well, including our U19s winning the league title without dropping a single point, which is unbelievable. The talent we have in our academy will no doubt go on to command positions in the professional game, whether that’s by breaking into our senior setup, or at clubs around the country. There’s no doubt it’s increasingly harder to breakthrough, but we have the talent at Park Hall to keep achieving for years to come. 

To our fans, whose numbers at Park Hall and on the road have been showing encouraging improvement throughout the season, I cannot thank you enough for your support. In particular, this year, the numbers we took to Scotland for the SPFL Trust Trophy semi-final and final were superb, and you proudly represented TNS with phenomenal vocal support.  Likewise to fans tuning into our game changing streaming and radio service, which has built our worldwide fan base in countries such as the U.S. and South Africa, your positive support is felt right here in Oswestry each time we play. 

It’s an exciting time for TNS and Welsh football more generally given the recent announcement from the FAW and their investment into the league. Whilst we don’t have specific details, the headline news looks positive, hopefully it’ll help grow the competitiveness in the league which will help improve the experience for fans and broadcasters. We’ll be sure to keep fans posted with developments. Meanwhile, from me, you can expect investment on and off the field both in the playing squad and facilities at Park Hall, which will ultimately allow us to keep raising the bar. We will also do our utmost to keep moving in the right direction and whilst trophies are never guaranteed, you can be certain we will always sustainably invest to keep lifting our standards. 

Before I sign off, I’d like to thank everyone behind the scenes, whether you’re a volunteer, player, club partner, fan, steward, employee, backroom or admin staff, we are not TNS without you. Everyone has played their part in what has been a season to remember. 

Thanks to everyone for your support this season, have an enjoyable summer break and we’ll see you back at Park Hall for the European campaign in July. Come on TNS!