This will be a real Trakai contest
Wright all set to welcome Lithuanians to McDiarmid
Wright and the manager of Spartak Trnava at McDiarmid Park in 2014 St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright believes FK Trakai’s forward pair Oscar Dorley and Maksim Maksimov pose a dangerous threat.
Perth management staff have been running the rule over the Lithuanians ahead of Thursday evening’s Europa League tie at McDiarmid Park.
And first team coach Alec Cleland jetted out to watch Trakai knock eight beyond Garliava in the Lithuanian Cup on Sunday.
He has since returned and Wright said: “The game they played last weekend was against very weak opposition but it was good for Alec to get an opinion on how they play and their key players.
“They are a team who like to pass the ball and their front two, Dorley and Maksimov, are their two best players.
“They have done very well this season and in their league they have been difficult to beat and to score against.
“Away from home they seem to be very strong defensively but it will be about how strong the opposition they’re playing is.
“I don’t think the strength of the Lithuanian league will be as strong as the SPFL.
“But it’s still going to be a tough game because they are a side who have become used to winning matches and they are strong.
“They will be very confident coming here, they have got the results behind them domestically for that, so we know it’s going to be a tough game.
“We have to get a positive result on Thursday night because we know how difficult it is when you go away from home in Europe and have to chase it.
“That’s what happened against Spartak Trnava a few years back, we didn’t start the game well at home and were 2-0 down before we started playing.
“In the end we scored to bring it back to 2-1 and should have been 2-2, but going over there it was difficult because we had to come out and although we scored they picked us off.
“So we have to learn from that and use the experience we’ve built up from that night.
“These games are a bit cat and mouse when you’re at home first and you have to deal with the nervousness that comes with the away goals.
“But I think that this team are in a better place to cope with it having been through it before and I think as a manager I’m better placed to deal with it too.”
Wright has guided Saints to a number of memorable nights in Europe with victories against Rosenborg and FC Luzern.
The disappointment has come against teams where the Perth squad were favoured to advance.
“The team is far more settled now than it was two years ago,” said Wright.
“I don’t like making excuses but we were decimated against Alashkert. We had seven players missing for the home game and lost Steven Anderson to a GBH early on.
“I think with all the injuries we ended up with seven defenders on the park and although we battered them and won 2-1, we went out on away goals.
“Again that was a learning experience and we know that a clean sheet will be massive for us this week.
“We have held our own but the thing that has disappointed me is that we have followed up our great results with defeats to so-called lesser opposition.
“We beat Rosenborg then lost to Minsk in the next round, even though we won away from home and were the better team at McDiarmid Park.
“But we lost a goal and then went out on penalty kicks.
“Then after knocking Luzern out we threw in a bad 45 minutes against Trnava and that was what cost us ultimately.
“So that frustrates me, we have had a couple of great results and then some disappointing ones after it.
“We just need to get that wee bit smarter and perhaps a bit of luck to get to where we want to be.”
Competing on the European stage is never easy, and Wright is fully aware of that, but he hopes to help raise the profile of the Scottish game.
“From our point of view, with the size of club we are, we always have to be cautious,” he told the Perthshire Advertiser.
“There is more expectation on Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen than there is on St Johnstone because of the size of clubs Saints boss Tommy Wright Wright celebrates a win against Rosenborg and wants similar nights they are.
“It’s difficult for Scottish clubs, we have been playing games behind closed doors because the pitches aren’t ready.
“All the teams help each other out and work together, we have played Rangers and will play Aberdeen so we can get games into the players.
“There are things which are thrown up which aren’t ideal but we are all working hard to do better.
“I think there has to be an understanding that things are not like they were twenty or thirty years ago.
“Back then you got a team from somewhere like Lithuania or Estonia and a side from Scotland would automatically win.
“These days, these are emerging countries and they all have very good players.
“I can understand the disappointment because we all want Scottish football to be strong and as many teams as possible to be competing in these competitions for as long as possible.
“It’s a known fact that the Scottish game was in the doldrums for a while but I think that over the last few years the league has got better and stronger.
“There is a buzz around the game again, with Rangers back, Aberdeen strengthening, Hearts and Hibs back in the Premiership, there’s a good feel about it again.
“And we need to help that along by doing well in Europe, we are aware of that.”