Alston prepares to make new European memories

st johnstone: Saints star recalls Falkirk’s experiences in 2009

Blair Alston has heard the stories of St Johnstone European adventures of years gone by.

And the tales have added to his excitement at getting the chance to experience the next one for himself.

With a weekend return to training for the Perth squad, and the draw for the first qualifying round of the Europa League following soon after, Saints’ fifth campaign in recent years is starting to loom large.

“Everyone has gone off on holiday with plenty to look forward to when you come back,” said the former Falkirk midfielder.

“It disrupts the summer but nobody here is complaining about that, we want to be playing in Europe and that’s something that comes with it.

“Personally I’ve been lucky because I’ve not had to change any holiday plans but a couple of the lads have had to rearrange flights.

“But it comes with the territory. Nobody is disappointed at having to make other arrangements.”

He added :“It’ s great for the fans. It gives them a trip in the summer and people can arrange a holiday or whatever depending on where it is.

“As players we’re not really bothered where the game is played, but for the supporters you want a somewhere decent that’s easy to get to. The lads have told me the backing they had in places like Norway and Switzerland was amazing so hopefully the draw will be good to us.”

Thinking back to Falkirk’s 2009 European games is also helping whet A ls ton’ s appetite for what is about to come his way.

“I was around Falkirk when they were in Europe,” he recalled. “But I was just a young lad.

“I wasn’t involved but I was on the staff at the club at the time. You could tell it was a massive deal. The whole club had a buzz around it and the town itself as well.

“Unfortunately they got knocked out by Vaduz, which was a real disappointment for everyone. But to get there was a big deal for Falkirk and it’s the same for us. You just want to enjoy it. It’s a reward for a tough season. “

Last season was Alston’s first as a Saints player and he turned out to be an important part of Tommy Wright’s squad.

Like all footballers, he could reflect on performances that didn’t meet his expectations in 2016/17 but for the team as a whole it was undeniably a case of mission accomplished.

He said: “There have been times where I think I could have done better, but as a team we had a great season. Finishing fourth and getting into Europe is fantastic, at the start we talked about it and being in the top six again was the target.

“Once that was achieved then we were able to start looking at other things like getting fourth and that European place.”