HUW GRIFFITHS has told Cefn Druids to “defy the odds yet again” as they tackle FK Trakai in the Europa League tonight.

The Ancients laughed in the face of those that made them almost certainties for relegation from the Welsh Premier League to secure a best-ever fifth placed finish before securing a European place by winning the end of season play-offs.

FK Trakai, who have won seven of their 12 Europa League matches, progressing in the competition in each of the last three years, are 3/4 favourites to win at The New Saints’ Park Hall tonight with Druids 3/1 to head to Lithuania with an advantage.

Boss Griffiths, who led Druids into Europa League battle in 2012, drawing 0-0 with MyPa at The Racecourse before losing 5-0 in Finland, said: “We’ve defied the odds before and the challenge is to defy the odds yet again.

“We were written off at the start of last season and we are being written off again in the Europa League, so it is up to us to try and prove that we are better than people think again.

“We are all excited, but we know that we need to manage our emotions and what will be, will be.

“I told the lads that this is why they played the whole of last season - to get a chance to play in Europe - and now they’ve got a chance to measure themselves against a very good side.

“We know there will be times where it gets tough, but we need to remember that this is why we worked all season to get into the Europa League.”