As The New Saints head into tonight’s hastily re-arranged clash with Connah’s Quay Nomads (7.45pm) hoping to restore a four-point gap at the top of the Welsh Premier League, Scott Ruscoe has given his mid-term report.

TNS are also in the Irn-Bru Cup semi-final, the Nathaniel MG Cup Final in January and are on the road to reclaiming the Welsh Cup in Ruscoe’s first season since taking over from Craig Harrison.

Being a ‘rookie’ doesn’t mean the former TNS player has limited his ambitions for a side that has dominated Welsh football and Ruscoe sees nothing in the first half of the season to change that.

“At the start of the season, I said I wanted to win all four trophies,” said Ruscoe. “I wanted to go at least one better in the Irn-Bru Cup and reach the final to showcase TNS as a club.

“The League Cup is very important to us because we’ve won it consecutively and we want to get over the disappointment of losing to Bala Town in the Welsh Cup last year.

“If we got three out of four, I’d be happy but I’d still be thinking what if and it would only be us not at our best on the day that would take those trophies away from us”

He added: “Anyone would realise that being offered a full-time manager’s job, you’ve got to take it with both hands and not let it slip away from you.

“You’ve got to throw yourself into it; planning, preparation, looking at players and players’ reports so that everything is taken care of. We assess the opponents and try to find their weaknesses.

“We’re always learning and we’re always looking for new techniques and as a young manager, you like to learn from the best so I watch numerous games during the week. It drives my wife crazy.

“We’re looking at strengthen the squad and how we want to kick-on for the season. It’s the mid-term report and I think we’re doing just fine.”