Newtown 1 TNS 4

TNS sealed an emphatic opening day win at Latham Park and ensured any fears of a European hangover were well and truly put to bed on Sunday.

A crowd of 675 turned out for the first match open to supporters for 17 months and for many it was their first chance to meet their fellow supporters since the onset of the global pandemic.

In many ways the football match provided a backdrop or subplot to a day so many had longed for during the many dark days endured over the past year and a half.

Both sides introduced a host of new players while for TNS supporters the match offered the first chance to see their side which won such acclaim in the European Conference this summer.

TNS began brightly with summe signing Danny Davies glancing a header wide from Adrian Cieslewicz' ninth minute corner.

Fellow summer signing Declan McManus was picked out by Davies' deep cross from midfield 10 minutes later but his weak header failed to trouble goalkeeper Dave Jones.

The Saints led on 24 minutes with another summer signing, Jordan Williams, breaking down the right wing before sending a low cross to the near post for Ben Clark to steer past Jones.

McManus fired over the bar from 16 yards before Newtown got a foothold in the game on 36 minutes.

James Davies released Lufimpa Mwandwe whose surging run from midfield culminated in the ex-Shrewsbury youngster teeing up Davies whose shot was parried by goalkeeper Paul Harrison for Aaron Williams to net.

Newtown maintained their impetus and ended the first-half firmly on top with Mwandwe seeing a shot deflected just wide.

However head coach Anthony Limbrick roused his troops during the interval and the Saints put the game to bed with two goals inside the opening 15 minutes in the second-half.

Newtown were undone by their failure to deal with the corners of Cieslewicz and aerial threat of Blaine Hudson.

Four minutes into the second-half Blaine met Cieslewicz's left wing corner with a near post header which rattled the bar with McManus on hand to slot home the loose ball.

Nine minutes later another Cieslewicz corner was met by Hudson who powered home a header to leave Newtown facing an impossible challenge to salvage the game.

Newtown continued to toil and Mwandwe rounded Harrison with 20 minutes remaining only for Louis Bradford to save the day with a vital tackle.

The Saints completed the scoring four minutes later as McManus skilfully created room on the right to fire across goal with Williams slotting home despite the best efforts of Craig Williams on the line.

The visitors ended the match on top with Jones forced into action to deny headed efforts from Williams and Hudson but TNS had already done enough to seal the points.

NEWTOWN: D Jones, Roberts, Mills-Evans, Mwandwe, Davies (Cotterill 83), A Williams, Rowland, C Williams, Hughes, Walker (J Evans) 74), Arsan. Subs: M Williams, Taylor, A Jones, Edwards

TNS: Harrison, Marriott, Routledge, McManus, Redmond (Smith 69), Cieslewicz (Robles 70), Hudson, Williams, Clark, D Davies (Baker 79), Bradford. Subs: Roberts, Ebbe, Canavan, Daykin.