Scott Ruscoe is encouraging his players to carry the positives from their recent fixtures into tonight’s UEFA Europa League tie.

Saints take on B36 Torshavn of the Faroe Islands on Wednesday night in the second qualifying round of the competition.

As TNS fly the flag for Wales in Europe along with Bala Town and Connah’s Quay Nomads, Ruscoe wants his players to do all they can to progress to the next round.

He said: “I want to stay in the competition and I want to continue the run that we’ve had.

“The preparation has been ideal and has gone on a bit longer than we’re used to because of Covid.

“I want us to progress to the next round and use the squad to the maximum.

“We played a starting lineup on Saturday which will be different to tonight, which will be different to the next match on Sunday.

“We want to win this tie and we’ll be doing everything we can to win it.

“We did our research about a week ago now and have had meetings since to make sure the players know what they need to do.

“We know their strengths and weaknesses and we know they lost 4-2 on Saturday, so before the match on Wednesday night we hope to have footage of that game as well.

“We’ve watched highlights and three or four games of theirs, and we feel we are fully aware of what they can offer.

“They’re a possession-based side who like to build from the back, and they have a very good centre forward who scores a lot of goals.”

TNS head into the match on the back of two wins from their last two competitive fixtures, with the most recent being Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Barry Town United.

Ruscoe hopes his players continue to play at their best in what will be a tough fixture.

“It’s very important going in on the back of a win, and on the back of the win we had in Europe a few weeks back,” he said.

“We’ve scored six goals between the two games and only conceded one which was a penalty.

“Yes we defended well and got forward well, but as a whole we looked solid and resolute.

“We wanted to pick up second balls and defend crosses well and things like that, and we’ve done that.

“It’s giving us a solid foundation which allows us to attack teams more.”

His side will be playing with confidence on the back of Saturday’s match, which ended with an impressive result.

He said: “It was very good – I didn’t think we were quite at it the first-half.

“We allowed them into the game, but if we look at the end result of three goals and a clean sheet, that’s all you can ask for.

“On top of that it was a great second-half performance overall.

“It was nice for Leo to get on the scoresheet – that’s two in two for him now.

“He’s improved with game he’s played for us.”

The New Saints’ match against B36 Torshavn kicks off at 7pm.