After getting the JD Cymru Premier campaign off to a good start, with a 4-1 win against Flint Town United last Friday, it’s back to the UEFA stage for The New Saints on Thursday (August 22). 

The Conference League play-off first-leg game, against FK Panevėžys, brings back great memories of the last time we played in Lithuania. 

In 2021/2022, goals from Leo Smith (8), Danny Davies (35, 38), Declan McManus (40) and Jordan Williams (87) secured an impressive 5-0 victory against FK Kauno Žalgiris in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

A week later, at Park Hall, it was again a five-star performance – although the Lithuanians did score an 84th minute consolation on that occasion – as Danny Redmond (13), Louis Robles (20), Declan McManus (25), Leo Smith (69) and Danny Davies (74) all found the back of the net, to register an extremely impressive 10-1 aggregate scoreline.

Thursday’s opponent – who were formed just nine years ago in 2015 – stormed to the A Liga title last season, with just one defeat in thirty-six games.

In second-place, and twelve points adrift, was TNS’ opponent from three seasons ago – FK Kauno Žalgiris.

However, this time round, certainly from a domestic perspective, it’s not been a good campaign at all for FK Panevėžys. While Žalgiris are back at the top, Stijn Vreven’s side find themselves rooted joint-bottom of a ten-team league, with just five wins from twenty-four games to date.

As far as the European stage is concerned, after beating Finland’s HJK 4-1 on aggregate, the Lithuanians have been defeated 7-1 by Jagiellonia Białystok (Poland) and 5-1 by Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), as like The New Saints they have found themselves in a Conference League play-off place courtesy of winning their first tie.