Glentoran didn’t see anything from TNS that frightens us ahead of Euro second leg, insists Jamie McDonagh

They fell behind to a first-half wonder strike from Leo Smith but, after dominating the second period, the east Belfast side had to rely on a late goal from substitute McDonagh to salvage the situation.

The former Derry City man believes his team can finish the job next time round.

“We didn’t see anything to frighten us,” he says. “We know what to expect and they know what to expect from us.

“It’s a matter of us tweaking a few things and hopefully we can get the job done. We’ll be well prepared and hopefully we’ll be better all over the pitch, especially in the final third.

“We obviously did our homework on TNS. Looking at them on paper, it’s a group of lads who have played in Leagues in England — they had some decent players, but you don’t expect anyone to do what Smith did. It probably was one of the best goals I’ve ever seen live.

“You never want to concede, but you’d rather be done by a bit of magic than some sloppy defending or a mistake. We had to hold up our hands and accept it was a brilliant goal.”

Having only had a two-week break since the end of last season, McDonagh reckons the Glens will be even more slick in the return leg.

“We played only two games in preparation for the tie,” he adds. “When it comes to next week, the lads will benefit from that tough 90 minutes.

“Hopefully, we’ll be that little bit fitter and things will click for us a bit more in the final third. It was a decent performance from us on Thursday, but I know we’ll have a lot more to give.

“We have to be confident, we are a team that wants to win every game. That’s the way we’ll approach the return leg, we’ll not settle for anything less.

“We are a club that wants to challenge for trophies in this country, so we’ll adopt that attitude for what will be a tough European tie.”

Even though McDonagh is renowned for his spectacular strikes — his screamer against Cliftonville in February was voted Goal of the Season — he admitted he would have settled for a simple tap in against the Welsh Premier Division side, especially as he was only introduced to the game late on.

“That’s my job,” he says. “Yes, I would have liked to have been in the starting XI on a big occasion like a European tie, but it was good to come on and make an impact by getting the goal that was so important to us at the time.

“Once you know you are not starting, you have to stay focused and if you do get the chance to come on, you have to prove yourself.

“Hopefully, I did that. It’s a lot harder coming on as a substitute because you have to adapt quickly to the pace of the game. The boys put in a good shift, particularly in the second half when we had a lot more of the ball.

“I was just happy to score to help the team. I was maybe a little bit fortunate. The goalkeeper was probably favourite to get the ball, but it seemed to squirm away from him. He either pulled out or missed it. I was surprised and all I had to do was tap it in. It was great work by Robbie (McDaid) to get me into that decision.

“It’s nice to get one of those special ones, but taking into account the importance of the occasion, I would have settled for a tap in all day long. For me personally, it meant a lot more than the one I scored against Cliftonville.”