Cerny’s happy he’ll play – and be paid!
Tommy expects his Saints to keep their cool
Tommy Wright. TOMMY WRIGHT admits St Johnstone couldn’t stand the heat as they crashed to defeat against Alashkert.
But the Saints gaffer expects his side to keep their cool in Thursday’s second leg – and secure Europa League progression.
The Perth men battled near 40-degree heat as they slumped to a shock 1-0 loss in Armenia last week.
Looking back, their manager can admit the baking-hot conditions played a big part in his side’s poor showing.
But Wright believes they can produce a performance at McDiarmid Park to put their display in Yerevan in the shade.
He said: “The lads were saying afterwards that they did find the heat a big problem.
Tomas Cerny with Thistle mascot Kingsley.
“But I don’t like making excuses – we didn’t pass the ball well enough. That was the main issue.
“That caused us problems, but the positives are that with half-anhour to go we didn’t concede another goal, we kept the tie alive and we created a few opportunities.
“We’ll go into the second leg in a better place.
“I believe we’ll be better than we were in Armenia. The conditions in Perth will allow us to be better in terms of how we press and deny them opportunities.
“It’s still only half-time in the tie. We know what we have to do.
“It’s a different set of circumstances for us because we’ve always come back with a win or a draw before.
“But hopefully our experience in Europe can prove valuable.
“The tie is very much alive, that’s the most important thing.
“I’ve watched the game back and Alashkert didn’t create a hell of a lot of chances.
“We’ve got a far better idea of what they’re about now. They’ll have to cope with the travelling and all that.
“And we’ll be able to play at a tempo and an intensity that we weren’t able to play at out there.”
First-team stalwarts Steven Anderson and Chris Millar are set to return to Wright’s squad for Thursday’s crucial clash, while summer striking recruit Graham Cummins should also be available.