CRAIG Harrison heaped praise on his New Saints players but warned the job was only half done.
A 3-0 win over Panevezys in Lithuania last night means the Oswestry club are now 90 minutes away from becoming the first ever JD Cymru Premier club to reach the group stages of the UEFA Conference.
However, Harrison insisted it was only half-time in the play-off tie and his players had to finish the job on Thursday when the second-leg is contested at Park Hall.
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The Saints boss said: "It was a massive performance, we showed a will to tackle, a will to head, a will to block and we got what we deserved. The performance was spot on tonight.
"I am very proud and very happy of the players."
Harrison insisted despite the celebrations the preparation for the second leg would commence on Sunday.
"The players will now recover and come back in on Sunday and we will train throughout the week," said Harrison. "It is the biggest week in the history of the club and we do not want to fall into the trap of getting sloppy because of the first leg result.
"A lot can happen in 90 minutes and we know we have work to do on Thursday."
Meanwhile Harrison described the team spirit within the camp.
"It is always difficult to leave players out but we have a great group here of 30 players and staff," said Harrison. "Once the whistle blows the players who miss out on a starting place are supporting their team-mates and it shows what a great spirit we have at the club."
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