Frazer Wright despair after St Johnstone Euro exit

The one-time Kilmarnock stalwart returns to Rugby Park today, though, convinced that St Johnstone can overcome the disappointment of a controversy-laden penalty shoot-out defeat by FC Minsk and emulate impressive away performances in Belarus and Norway on the Scottish Premiership scene.

The veteran defender conceded manager Tommy Wright and assistant Callum Davidson have had their work cut out lifting players’ spirits after they had come within touching distance of a play-off spot for a stab at the £1 million group stages.

The centre-half, who notched the winner in Norway, is adamant that experienced professionals in the McDiarmid dressing room will ensure Saints are in the right frame of mind for the return to domestic duty in Ayrshire.

Reflecting on the 0-1 loss and 3-2 defeat on penalties which ended a Euro dream fuelled by ousting Norwegian giants Rosenborg, Wright lamented: “I suppose it was a typical Scottish tale of another glorious failure. We still feel hard done by because the better team lost.

“And it was even harder to take when they were just so arrogant, for no reason.

“At the end their number three, Sergey Sosnovski, just started giving out abuse and I saw Dave Mackay running towards him. I thought I’d better go get him. The referee defused things by showing the red card to their guy.

“They were just so arrogant and that maybe stemmed from their manager and the way he conducts himself.

“They scored with the only real chance they made and it was sickening.

“But it is a familiar story. If you don’t take your own chances there is every likelihood you will get punished and that is what happened to us.

“We just have to accept it but it is up there with the most disappointing defeats of my whole career. We would love to have been in the play-off round draw on Friday.”