NEW Saints defender Phil Baker spoke of his delight after moving to the top of the all-time list of Welsh Premier League players who have appeared for their clubs in European competitions.

His appearance in last week’s 3-0 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round defeat against Cypriot champions APOEL Nicosia was his 31st in European competition, allowing him to overtake former team-mate and current TNS assistant manager Scott Ruscoe.

“To overhaul Scotty and reach 31 games is a great achievement for me on a personal level and I am delighted to have done it,” he said 

“There’s a few lads just behind me in terms of appearances so I’m not sure the record is going to stand for too long.

“Unfortunately we weren’t able to get the result we wanted during my 31st appearance in Europe but there have been some great memories over the years.”

After joining the club in 2005, Liverpool born Baker made his European debut against Liverpool at Anfield at the beginning of the 2005/06 season, picking up a yellow card in a 3-0 defeat to Rafael Benitez’ side, who were at the time reigning European Champions. 

He also famously scored the winning goal in the Saints’ 1-0 victory against Cliftonville in the UEFA Europa League first Qualifying Round back in 2011, and featured in The Saints’ Champions League victories over Bohemians in 2010, and Tre Penne in 2016.

“Obviously the goal against Cliftonville was a great moment for me and for the club but the one that probably sticks out is Liverpool at Anfield,” he said.

“I’m an Evertonian myself but even so! To be standing in front of the Kop at Anfield with them singing ‘You'll never walk alone’ was spine tingling. Liverpool had obviously just won the Champions League in Istanbul and they were on a massive high, I think the game was the fastest selling fixture ever at Anfield at the time, so that day was an amazing experience for me.

“Other ones that stick out in my mind are Anderlecht who have an amazing crowd, and obviously Legia Warsaw was brilliant from the same point of view, they had a really passionate bunch of fans out there and it was special to play in an atmosphere like that. And also APOEL over in Cyprus where we’ve just come back from were a great crowd.”

With the Saints out of Europe, Baker returned to training with the rest of the squad, ahead of the Dafabet Welsh Premier League kick off against Aberystwyth at Park Hall on August 14.

“Obviously now we’re back to business and the serious business of the league, we know we’ve got to win it again to get back into Europe so that’s what we’re focused on. Preparations have been underway for a while now and the lads are training well, so we’re going to make sure we’re raring to go against Aberystwyth in a couple of weeks.”