Champions League bow is reflection of years of hard work says Nomads boss Andy Morrison
Andy Morrison says tonight’s fixture with FK Sarajevo is the culmination of years of hard work.
The Nomads, who are making their Champions League debut, won the Cymru Premier title for the first time last season.
Winning the domestic league automatically qualifies you for Europe’s top tier competition.
And Morrison, who will celebrate five years in Flintshire this November, admits there will be a feeling of pride when the iconic Champions League anthem rings around the Cardiff City Stadium.
“It’s fantastic. To be in the Champions League means you’ve won your domestic league.
“When the music plays before the game, it’ll reinforce the fact we won our league last year. It’s an achievement we’re really proud of.
“It’s a lot of hard work which has gone into that. For me it’s just the beginning, we have plans and dreams where we want the club to go.
“The opportunity to play in the Champions League at this stage now is a fantastic achievement.
“It’s a reflection of hard work by so many people at the club.“
In their five years of European experience, the Nomads have twice come up against Balkan opposition.
They faced FK Vojvodina in 2016 and Partizan Belgrade last season, as a reward of beating Kilmarnock.
Morrison has drawn comparisons with tonight’s opponents and last season’s:
“Partizan Belgrade are the best team I’ve come up against in my time in Europe and these are as good.
“I really do think they are as good as Partizan. Maybe not so much individual flair, but they’re a very tight unit and very strong and organised.
“They’re full of internationals. It’s going to be a real test, but we’re really looking forward to it.
“It’s new for me, absolutely. Every season has been a great adventure. We’ve relished going to the Serbians, we’ve played in Norway and gone to Latvia.
“This is another challenge against the Bosnians. It’s great, we can’t wait for it.
“I’ve said to the players, whatever is said and done at the end of the game make sure you know the Bosnians have been in the game.
“Make sure they remember who you were and that it wasn’t just a simple exercise for them.
“They’re champing at the bit to get out on the pitch and challenge them on Wednesday evening.”
While this may be the Nomads’ maiden appearance in the Champions League, they do have players in their ranks who have competed at this level.
Specifically, Aeron Edwards, who recently left The New Saints after a decade at Park Hall, has a vast amount of experience on this stage.
Danny Holmes and Michael Wilde have also played in this competition with the Saints.
However this is a new setting for everyone, says Morrison, and he has called on his team to be competitive like they have been in previous European fixtures.
“I’m thinking at this stage of the Champions League that experience won’t play much of a part.
“It’s a new thing for all of us. We’re all going to relish it and challenge ourselves individually to try and give an account of ourselves first and foremost.
“Obviously, in Europe, there’s such a gulf in the clubs you’re coming up against.
“Even to get through one round is a remarkable achievement, so we have to be realistic about what our goals are in Europe.
“From the first minute when we kick-off, it’s about staying in the game and hoping we create opportunities and take them, but there is only so many things that can go our way, especially in the Champions League.
“They want the players of Sarajevo to come off and respect them. They want them to see that they’re able to challenge them and play on the same field as them.
“We’re all mindful that we’re representing the Cymru Premier, we’ve got to do them proud and we have in every season we’ve played so far.”
“We’ve never come away from a game and felt we’ve embarrassed the league.“
A victory for the Nomads would see them receive a windfall bigger than any they have received for progressing in the Europa League.
In these times of financial uncertainty, it could be a boost to the club.
However, Morrison insists that isn’t the key motivation heading into this fixture.
“I think as a manager and the players, we don’t ever look at that. We’re just focusing on winning a game of football.
“Whatever comes off the back of that is not important to me. It’s about winning a game of football and we have to make sure we’re right for the game.
“If we win it, great, then we’ll look at whatever comes our way. We’re certainly not focusing on any financial incentives to win the game.
“It’ll be down to a squad of eighteen players who want to be better than Sarajevo on the night.”
(Featured Image: Nikitas Mesney)
