Positive result from McDiarmid a must, says Saints boss

St Johnstone determined to avoid costly away goal as they seek Europa progress

There will be a fine line for St Johnstone between making sure they don’t concede an away goal in their Europa League opener and not allowing an overly negative mindset to creep in.

And Perth boss Tommy Wright is hoping that the survivors of the last match in Europe when they had to play a first leg at home will have learned their lesson from a night that proved costly three years ago.

“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,” he said.

“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.

“A lot of the lads who are still here were involved in that, so they know what you need to do in these games when you’re at home first. It’s easy to get caught in between not wanting to lose a goal and being on the back foot.

“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.”

Defeat to Trnava was followed by an early exit to Alashkert of Armenia the year after. There is one obvious contrast between two years ago and now, according to Wright.

“The team is far more settled now than it was then,” he said.

“I don’t like making excuses but we were decimated against Alashkert. We had seven players missing for the home game and then lost Steven Anderson to a GBH early on.

“He got his eye socket broken and was booked for it by the referee – so that just summed up the night. 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.”

Reflecting on Saints’ European record during his years in charge, Wright said: “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 have had a couple of great results and then some disappointing ones after it.” St Johnstone’s Europa League opponents will arrive in Perth on the back of an emphatic cup win.

But Tommy Wright is confident that going from an 8-0 defeat of “very weak” Lithuanian lower league side Garliava to facing his own team at McDiarmid Park on Thursday night will be chalk and cheese for FK Trakai.

The Saints boss, who has confirmed they have registered an interest in bringing Michael O’Halloran back from Rangers, sent Alec Cleland to Vilnius to check out their Europa League first qualifying round opposition at the weekend, and Cleland certainly saw plenty of goals.

“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,” said Wright.

“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.”

Saints boss Tommy Wright.