St. Johnstone vs Alashkert preview - Wotherspoon has a point to prove

Posted Wednesday, July 08, 2015 by PA

David Wotherspoon is determined to prove St Johnstone are a better side than they showed in their Europa League opener in Armenia.

Saints fell to a 1-0 defeat against Alashkert and midfielder Wotherspoon is aiming for significant improvement in the second leg of the second qualifying round in Perth on Thursday.

The former Hibernian player said: "We are excited for the game. We need to prove a point after getting beat 1-0 away from home and show that we are a good side in Europe and can progress to the next round.

"We underperformed over there and I think, with a good performance, we can get through to the next round.

"We didn't know much about them going into the game apart from a few clips, but they showed they are a decent side. They kept the ball well, they were very sharp. They moved the ball well and created chances.

"I think if we perform to our game, we can beat them. If we pressure them high up the park and play at a high intensity, I think we can cause them problems."

Wotherspoon feels far more comfortable going into the McDiarmid Park clash after feeling Saints did not adapt to the conditions in Yerevan.

"There were a few factors," the 25-year-old said. "Travelling takes a lot out of you and the heat does as well. You don't want to use them as excuses but they contributed in different ways and I think it affected the boys a wee bit.

"The gaffer feels you can see in the video that the boys weren't moving as freely as normal with the heat.

"It was about 40 degrees or something. It cooled down in the second half and we were able to get up the park. We would have liked to get the away goal but it wasn't to be and you have to look forward to the next game.

"I think a week can make a difference at this stage, you can see in training the progress we are making. The sessions have been high standard and high intensity so I think we are ready for the game."

Saints are likely to face a trip to Kazakhstan if they progress as Kairat Almaty beat their other potential opponents, Red Star Belgrade, 2-0 in Serbia in their first leg.