Meet the Welsh minnows with 179 fans dreaming of taking down giants Fiorentina in the Conference League – before flying home from Tuscany on Ryanair

Unlike Liverpool or Arsenal after their recent Champions League excursions to Italy, Welsh champions The New Saints will fly home from Thursday night’s historic match against Fiorentina on Ryanair, sitting among fans who followed them to Tuscany.

Given their last home crowd against Bala Town in the Cymru Premier was just 179, chairman Mike Harris doesn’t want to act too giddy about their first-ever match in a European group stage.

‘Why would you waste your money on chartering a private aircraft when you want to invest in the football club,’ he explains with forthright common sense.

The story of TNS, hailing from the village of Llansantffraid, meeting one of Serie A‘s aristocrats in the Conference League is a sporting tale for the ages.

Fiorentina are six-time European finalists, once graced by Roberto Baggio, Gabriel Batistuta and Mohamed Salah, and who now have David de Gea and £35million former Juventus and Everton striker Moise Kean on their books.

The story of TNS, hailing from the village of Llansantffraid, meeting Fiorentina, one of Serie A ‘s aristocrats in the Conference League, is a sporting tale for the ages

The six-time European finalists now have Manchester United icon David de Gea on their books

By contrast, the total annual wage bill at TNS is less than De Gea earned in a month at previous club Manchester United.

After Thursday night’s meeting, the paths of the two clubs will diverge again. Fiorentina face AC Milan on Sunday while TNS will take a three-hour coach to their fixture at Briton Ferry near Neath.

They have already played eight European matches to get to Florence, starting on July 9 when England still harboured hopes of winning the Euros. For their first away game against Decic in Montenegro, TNS took just 10 fans.

Success in the play-off against Lithuania’s Panevezys marked the fulfilment of a dream for Harris that began in 1997 when he sponsored the team’s shirts.

As owner, he temporarily changed the club’s name to Total Network Solutions after his computer company, turned them full-time and moved their home to Oswestry, five miles over the English border — though the town has always been part of the Welsh pyramid system.

‘We had to go to full-time. We couldn’t reach the next level if the players were driving vans or doing heavy shifts on the building site before matches,’ says the 61-year-old force of nature. ‘We’ve been chasing a dream for 25 years to play in the later rounds in Europe and it feels like a great accolade of ambition.

‘The club turned over only £40,000 a year when I started. Now it’s £2.4m, though our wage bill is still lower than any country bar San Marino. If a village can evolve and do what we’ve done, it is there for everyone else to go and do the same.

‘There is a misconception even in the lower divisions in England that their product is superior but I believe we’d finish in the top half of League One.

They have already played eight European matches to get to Florence including against Ferencvaros

Though TNS’s average league gates stubbornly struggle to rise above 300, it would be wrong to patronise them

Their artificial LigaTurf pitch and gym facilities would be the envy of bigger clubs

‘Having said that, Fiorentina is a big baptism of fire — from one of the top leagues in Europe. It’s lovely to pit your wits against them but not necessarily looking forward to the result!’

Though TNS’s average league gates stubbornly struggle to rise above 300, it would be wrong to patronise them.

Their artificial LigaTurf pitch and gym facilities would be the envy of bigger clubs and whatever happens in Florence, they have winnable games to come against the likes of Shamrock Rovers and Astana. 

With their Park Hall Stadium capacity standing at 1,700, their three home matches will take place at Shrewsbury’s New Meadow including a clash against Panathinaikos.

As the only professional club in the Welsh League, TNS dominate domestically. They invested wisely after glamorous European qualifiers against Manchester City and Liverpool early in the century. They even won a world-record 27 straight top-flight games in 2016 and have lifted the title for the past three seasons.

In terms of recruitment, TNS use the carrot of Europe to attract youngsters. Last season’s top scorer Brad Young was signed on his release from Aston Villa. He won a move to the Saudi Pro League last month, where his team Al Orobah face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr this weekend.

Skipper Danny Redmond is the son of Steve Redmond who played more than 200 games for Manchester City but never in Europe.

‘It’s the one thing I’ve got over him,’ smiles Danny. ‘We finished our season in early May and I went away with my partner and little boy for a fortnight in Greece right away. It was our only chance because we had to start running by the end of May with European games coming.

‘It is an 11-month season but worth it for moments like this. This is a massive occasion for us.’ Their main goal threat is £60,000 record signing Declan McManus, who won four Scotland Under 21 caps playing with John McGinn.

The striker has had an interesting European campaign after misdiagnosing an injury suffered against Ferencvaros.

‘I thought I had a dead calf and, being from Glasgow, tried to carry on,’ he says. ‘I played three more matches before having a scan and it turned out to be a broken leg!’

As the only professional club in the Welsh League, TNS dominate domestically

In terms of recruitment, TNS use the carrot of Europe to attract youngsters

There is one certainty. Win, lose or draw, the New Saints players will be heading to Pisa Airport  for their budget flight home

Looking ahead to Thursday night, McManus adds: ‘I’ve never swapped a shirt with an opposition player but I might do with this being a special occasion.

‘It will be the last thing on my mind if we get beat but if I score a hat-trick, I might ask De Gea!’

There is one certainty. Win, lose or draw, the New Saints players will be heading to Pisa Airport for their budget flight home. And on Saturday, it’s all aboard the coach to Briton Ferry.