BALA Town FC's next European adventure gets underway later this week.

The Lakesiders have been drawn against League of Ireland club Sligo Rovers in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

This Thursday, July 7 sees the first leg being played at Park Hall, the home of The New Saints.

Kick-off will be at 7pm.

Speaking to the club's YouTube channel, Bala manager Colin Caton admitted he wanted to avoid Irish opposition in the opening round.

"Once that pot came out I didn't want any Irish teams because it was a tough test against Larne last season and it will be a really tough test against Sligo," he said.

"It's important that we approach it right and I wanted to avoid the Irish and hopefully we could have got someone a little bit less difficult.

"But it's going to be a tough test and hopefully with the experience and the youth that we've got that we'll give a good account of ourselves and hopefully we can try and progress and give a good result against Sligo."

Last season Bala took on Northern Irish club Larne and the Lakesiders were defeated 2-0 on aggregate.

Looking for a different outcome this time, the Bala manager added: "Sligo are a well-established team that have done well over the years and it's going to be a massive test for us being part-time playing up against them, but hopefully we can be organised and give a good account of ourselves."

The winners of the tie will come up against Scottish Premiership outfit Motherwell in the second qualifying round.