St Johnstone suffered a heavy defeat in their first pre-season game on Scottish soil.
The Perth side were beaten 6-3 by Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Highlands.
The match at Clachnacuddin’s stadium had to be delayed for over an hour after the Saints team bus was forced into a detour off the A9 following a serious road accident 20 miles south of Inverness.
And the far from ideal build-up could well have been a factor in Callum Davidson’s men falling three behind within just 11 minutes.
Theo Bair pulled a goal back quickly after – his second in pre-season – but a sustained comeback never looked on the cards.
Saints’ other scorers were youngsters Max Kucheriavyi and Alex Ferguson.
The game was played behind closed doors and the first opportunity for fans to see the new-look team, perhaps with new signing Jamie Murphy in it, will be at McDiarmid Park against Cove Rangers on Saturday.
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