Saints will give it a go in Brussels, says Jones
Saints will give it a go in Brussels, says Jones
Sunday 01 August 2010
CRAIG Jones says he doesn't want to be left with any regrets as The New Saints bid to overturn Anderlecht’s 3-1 Champions League advantage on Tuesday night.
As the squad travelled out to Brussels today, first leg goalscorer Jones told Wales on Sunday: "We’ll give it a really good go and make sure there are no ‘what ifs’ when we finish.
"We’ve proved we’ve got goals in us. We had a couple of other chances in the first game and maybe we could have hit the target.
"They’ve proved over the years how good they are.
"Winning 30 domestic titles speaks for itself. Anderlecht have made the Champions League on more than one occasion – so they’re a top team.
"They’ve got a good fan base and a great stadium, it will be a superb experience for us.
"But we are by no means out of this tie, we can go over there and score goals.
"We’ve proved we can score goals and we just need to make sure we keep a clean sheet when we do.
"We did it against Bohemians in the last round. We were a bit cautious in the first leg, but we showed in the second leg we can take the game to good sides."
Although the Saints will have the consolation of a place in the Europa League play-offs if they lose the tie, Jones added: "We want to stay in the Champions League as long as possible, because it will be great for us as a club and Welsh football.
"If things don’t work out the way we want to, we’ve always got the Europa League to fall back on and trying to get to the group stages."
Jones has scored in both qualifying rounds so far and admits he is desperate to add to his tally.
He added: "To score a goal at this level is just fantastic for me.
"I scored a goal in the last round as well, so I’m really pleased."
Photo: Craig Jones celebrates his first-leg goal against Anderlecht.
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