Striker aims to make mark in first leg

“As soon as we heard the draw I looked it up,” added the striker.

“Obviously I saw that they do have an artificial pitch. I’m obviously really disappointed but I’ll just have to try and help us do a job in the home leg, if selected, and send the boys away with a good result.

“I’m not going to gloss it up, I’m gutted. I’m used to missing games at Hamilton and Kilmarnock but European trips don’t come round as often.

“It just makes the first game even more important for me, personally.

“I’ll be doing everything I can to help us get a lead.”

Maclean will be giving his all to get among the goals at McDiarmid but he is aware that the other end of the pitch is probably more important for Saints.

“When you’re at home in the first leg a clean sheet is really important,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing.

“Any sort of advantage you can get is massive. A one or two-goal lead would give us an advantage.”

Trakai’s season is up and running but Saints’ first public match will be the European game.

And MacLean hopes that will be a positive factor as both teams do their best to work out the opposition’s style of play and strengths and weaknesses.

“They’ll get DVDs on us but that’s from last season,” he said. “They won’t get the chance to see us play because all our games this week are behind closed-doors.

“I’m sure the gaffer will do his homework. We’ll watch them and get an idea on how they set-up.

“The first game will be really important as far as that is concerned as well.

“We’ll be looking to impose ourselves on the game and see how they react to that.

“They’ll probably come here and be stuffy and try to pick us off on the counter-attack. They’ll be cagey and difficult to break down – that’s what we’ll be expecting.

“That’s something we’ll have to be wary of. It happens all the time in European football.

“You can’t worry about the second leg. We’ve got to take care of the game at McDiarmid first.”

MacLean, Liam Craig and Graham Cummins were the goalscorers in a 3-0 closed-doors friendly win against Welsh side TNS.

Steven MacLean says keeping a clean sheet at home is key.