Joshua Daniels is looking forward to catching up with some familiar faces again as Glentoran step up their pre-season preparations with a friendly against The New Saints at the BetMcLean Oval on Wednesday evening (kick-off 7.45pm).

Daniels spent a very successful three-year period at Park Hall winning three JD Cymru Premier titles, lifting the Welsh Cup on two occasions, and claiming two Welsh League Cups.

The 30-year-old made the decision to return to the Irish League back in January but he is relishing the opportunity to reacquaint himself with his former club so soon after leaving Oswestry.

“Yeah I didn’t think I would be getting the chance to see the lads again so soon after leaving the club during the January transfer window,” said Daniels.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The New Saints, it’s a great club with so many fantastic people there.

“It obviously helps that we had a very successful time during my spell there and it’s something I will cherish when I look back on my career.

“TNS was a different level to League One where I played with Shrewsbury, but it was a lot more pressure than what I had been used to.

“You have to win every week, win leagues and qualify for Europe. We had a great season in the Conference League group stages which was fantastic to be involved in.

“I made the decision to come home due to family reasons, it was something myself and my wife wanted to do and our baby daughter was born a few days after I signed for the Glens.

“Knowing that the family was sorted and we were set for the baby coming, it was about getting myself settled here and getting a club.

“I obviously knew the Irish League well after my spell at Glenavon and everybody in it. January isn’t a nice time to move, clubs in the Irish Premiership are settled and it was different for me, but I was glad to get it sorted.

“It was still tough to bring my time at TNS to end as it was a special place for me, but as I say I will always have those memories and I’m really looking forward to catching up with everybody again on Wednesday.”

The New Saints will certainly provide a stern test for the Glens after they lifted a fifth consecutive Cymru Premier title at the end of last season.

Craig Harrison’s side are also ramping up their preparations ahead of their Champions League first round qualifier against Sabah FK at the start of July and Daniels is expecting a tough challenge from his former employers.

“Yeah there’s no doubt it’s going to be a good test for us as they are in the midst of their preparations for the Champions League in a fortnight’s time,” said the 30-year-old.

“But this is what you want at this stage of your pre-season preparations. You are doing a lot of hard work in terms of fitness and strength and conditioning, but you also want to come up against good opposition in the friendlies to test you.

“There isn’t long until the European games get underway, so we have to make sure we are in the best place possible to give ourselves the best chance of getting a result and progressing.

“TNS are in exactly the same boat and I’ve no doubt they will be looking at us in the same way, so I’m expecting a good workout.

“It was good to get the first game under our belts on Saturday against Caernarfon. I think everyone in the squad got minutes on the clock which is key at this stage.

“I thought we played some good stuff especially in the first half and were unlucky not to have scored a couple more.

“It’s all about preparation though as we know what we do now will stick with us when the season starts.

“We are back in a couple of weeks now and we have been working really hard. I think everyone is raring to go and are counting the days until the action gets under way again.

“It’s always nice to get a bit of time off at the end of the season but we had our break now and it’s all about stepping things up to be ready for the kick-off.”

Daniels is looking forward to his first full season at the BetMcLean Oval after joining Glentoran midway through last season.

“It will be good to get pre-season and all the preparation done together with the rest of the players,” he said.

“When you come in in January you are straight into the thick of it and really there’s no time to think about anything as the games are coming thick and fast.

“We were on a great run at that stage of the season too and understandably the boss was managing his squad along with maintaining the momentum that was building.

“The season didn’t finish how we would have liked but we showed what we are capable of with our performances along the way.

“We know what we need to work on ahead of the new season and there is a real hunger and desire to kick on again.

“Over the last couple of seasons you can see the improvement in every campaign and we have to look to step up again.”

For supporters planning to attend the pre-season friendly against TNS at The BetMcLean Oval, tickets are available to purchase now at: https://www.glentoran.com/tickets/home-tickets/