Barry Town United defender Luke Cooper says he never envisaged playing on the European stage.
The 26-year-old has been with Barry for three years and has gone from playing in the Welsh League to a regular in the Welsh Premier League.
Since being promoted to the Welsh Premier League with Barry, Cooper has missed just one appearance in two seasons of top-flight football, making a combined 63 appearances.
Cooper who had success with Caerau Ely, winning the Division One title in 2015, has been a mainstay in the Linnets defence for the past two seasons.
The USW alumni said: “I didn’t really think I’d have any chance of playing in Europe. I’ve always been one who has set my sights as best as I can and play at the highest level I possibly can.
“When I was at Caerau, my aim was to play Welsh Prem, I went on to do that and then the aim was to play in Europe.
“Now our next aim is to play in Europe year on year. We can build from there then. I didn’t think in the slightest four years ago I’d be playing in Europe.”
Cooper was part of the 2014/2015 Caerau Ely side which won the Division One title. After a fourth-place finish the season after, Cooper made the move to a promotion chasing Barry.
The Cardiff born defender spoke of how it was difficult to leave the Young Guns but his previous experience with manager Gavin Chesterfield, who he worked with at the University of South Wales, helped sell him the dream of top-flight football which has been presented to him.
It was also the fact the club have been steeped in the history of Welsh football, with their former success on both the European and domestic stage.
“I always said I’d never the Welsh League Division One team unless it was someone who wanted to do things right. When I mean do things right, I say travel, training and how you prepare.
“His sessions were great and he applied himself properly. He always wants the standards to be as high as they can be. That was enough to sell it to me.
“I knew the history that Barry had and I thought it was a great chance for me to potentially to go to a club that wanted to get back in the Welsh Premier League.”
Despite their top-flight status, Barry are still run as a community club and have a number of hard-working volunteers.
Barry, who are driven by their passionate supporters base, have some similarities to Caerau Ely, according to Cooper.
“It’s been great. It’s a quality football club, clubs like Caerau, with people behind it who are real top people. When you see on a Thursday and you’re training, with four or five players putting on food after training sessions for us.
“People aren’t getting a penny for that, so stuff like that makes you want to succeed and play for this football club when you see the work that goes into it behind the scenes.
“We do want to represent the Welsh Premier League, of course, we do but as the same as the Connah’s Quay, Cardiff Met, and TNS players, they’ll be going out first and foremost to represent their football club. We’ll be representing all the values we’re about.
Opponents Cliftonville have more experience in Europe than their opponents on Saturday.
The NIFL Premiership side have been in Europe, five times in the last nine years.
But on Thursday, Barry will only be focusing on themselves and the task in hand they have, as they aim to progress past similar opposition.
“It’ll be a great moment for everyone but it’s one of those things you’ve got to really enjoy the moment but you’ve got to know that when you’re on the pitch, you’re not there to soak up all the emotion and all the enjoyment.
“You’ve always got a chance. It’s one of those things were on the day. We don’t know much about Cliftonville, it’s pretty new to a lot of our players, we haven’t got a lot of Europa League experience at the club. We’ve got every chance.
“We’ve got to go and do a job and put ourselves right and do the best we can to get through to the next round.
“If we do get through to the next round then it’s an even bigger incentive for the club. It’ll be a proud moment.
“There’s no pressure on behalf. The pressure is the one we put ourselves to represent the club in the right way.”
(Featured Image: Rhys Skinner)
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