UEFA Conference League

Third Qualifying Round

TNS 4

Viktoria Plzen 2

DECLAN McManus's hat-trick has fired The New Saints closer to the UEFA Conference League playoff round after a dazzling night in Cardiff. 

He scored twice from the penalty spot in either half and capped off his treble with a fantastic solo goal after Blaine Hudson gave the Saints the lead. 

It means that Anthony Limbrick's men must avoid defeat in the Czech Republic next week to book their place in the play-off. 

After a bright start, Saints were nearly behind after Paul Harrison’s solid stop on five minutes fell to Plzen’s Pavel Sulc, who smashed his rebound against the post.

He then tried to fire in the rebound but Danny Davies produced a superb block to deny him.

The deadlock was broken on 19 minutes when Hudson – in the side for the injured Ryan Astles ­– scored with a thumping header from nine yards out.

Left alone at the back post, he powered home, letting an almighty roar in his first start since May.

And it was soon two for TNS as McManus smashed home his penalty high into the net on the half-hour mark to send Saints into dreamland.

The spot-kick was when the Estonian ref Juri Frischer felt there was a handball by an away player.

Saints finished the half under the pump against a side with vast Champions League experience, with Sulc fluffing his lines with a mis-kick from 10 yards out with Hudson getting in the way of a follow-up header.

McManus made it three for TNS with his second of the night eight minutes after the break when he again proved he was deadly from 12 yards after Louis Robles was fouled.

Saints settled into soaking up pressure and it nearly backfired shortly after the hour when half-time sub Jhon Mosquera missed the target with header form eight yards on 63 minutes.

Harrison was on top form again on 65 minutes when he tipped over Jean-David Beauguel’s header from a quick corner.

McManus completed his treble on 76 minutes when he latched onto a long ball out of defence before he teased Lukas Hejda, opening his body to curl one home.

It was too little, too late on 89 minutes as Plzen grabbed a late goal from Beauguel’s deflected effort, but gave them hope for the second leg.

And that was doubled when sub Adriel Ba Loua grabbed a second for the away side from the edge of the box with the last kick of the game.