Life’s a pitch as MacLean faces Euro nightmare

STEVEN MacLEAN will ask the question. Even though he knows what the answer will be. Banned from playing on artificial pitches by his doctor following knee surgery, the 34-year-old striker faces being sidelined when St Johnstone pursue a Europa League salvage mission against FK Trakai next midweek.

The presence of a plastic surface in Lithuania adds to MacLean’s bitter disappointment at Thursday evening’s 2-1 first-leg defeat in Perth. Frustration has piled upon frustration.

He intends to speak with manager Tommy Wright about any possibility of being involved in the comeback bid. MacLean does not, however, expect any wavering from the grass-only edict he’s operated under during recent seasons.

‘I’ve not spoken to the manager,’ he said. ‘I’ll see what he says. It’s his choice. Would I like to play? Yes, obviously.

‘I will speak to the manager and he will say I’m not playing.

‘I’ll sit in a darkened room probably. He’s the manager and he picks the team and he will do what he wants.’

MacLean has had to sit out domestic visits to Hamilton and Kilmarnock, but admits missing a chance to add to his continental experiences will be all the more agonising.

‘What’s the worst match I’ve missed because of plastic? This one. I don’t like missing any games but I was really looking forward to the European ones.

‘I’m not getting any younger and it’s getting harder and harder to qualify.

‘It’s going to be tough to miss it but hopefully the boys can turn them over and get another European tie back here at McDiarmid Park. What will I do? I don’t know. I just want to play. But those pitches should be banned.’

Now starting his sixth season as a Saints player, MacLean knows Wright’s side have made a habit of defying the odds at domestic level.

Victories over Rosenborg and Swiss side FC Luzern have provided highlights in European competition, but he feels turning the Trakai tie around would stand alongside those results.

‘I think so,’ he said. ‘But we’ve been to Ibrox and Parkhead and got results there. They’re not a better side than Rangers and Celtic. We’ve also been to Aberdeen and got points before. We know it’s going to take a big performance.

‘We have to score two goals and keep a clean sheet or go to extra time. But we will get chances over there and need to be more clinical. They’re a decent side. They’ve also played 15 to 20 games of their season and this was our first. I’m not making excuses but it helps.

‘It’s a disappointing result. We shot ourselves in the foot with the two goals.

‘They kept the ball well but we missed a few chances. We showed we could create chances against them. And I think we have enough about us to go over there and get a result.’

While admitting his side were ‘naive’ in the way they were caught out by Trakai, Wright also said Saints shouldn’t be written off. Exiting to a team from a nation ranked 45th in UEFA’s rankings — 20 places below Scotland — would be a gruesome blow.

‘We spoke about the goals at half-time,’ said MacLean, reflecting on the concessions to Maksim Maksimov and Vaidotas Silenas.

‘We were disappointed but we have great character.

‘It’s going to be tough and we need two goals but, like the manager said, only a fool would write us off.’