On a dreadful night for St Johnstone, the Perth side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Alashkert and midfielder Murray Davidson sustained a suspected cruciate ligament injury.
There was little to enthuse about in Armenia for Perth boss Tommy Wright except the fact that the tie is still very much alive if Saints can raise their game in next week’s return leg in Perth.
The probable serious injury to Davidson who was out for a year with a ruptured cruciate two seasons ago would be heartbreaking for the former Livingston man.
Wright said: “He’s had no luck. He felt something pop in his knee and we fear it may be his cruciate.
“It was his other knee. That’s our main concern at the minute making sure he comes through it again.”
On the defeat, Wright said: “We’re not out of the tie. That’s the most important thing.Watch full highlights here“The way we started the match cost us. We kept giving the ball away cheaply and we didn’t show any impetus until we went a goal down.
“They proved to be a decent side and played very well. The big positive is we kept it to 1-0.”
He added: “We couldn’t get up the park and had to defend a lot more than we would have liked.
“Their movement caused us some problems. I heard people talk about how poor they were, but I always emphasised that they were better than people thought.”
Alashkert manager Abraham Khashmanyan said: “Our game plan worked and it was a good night for us.
“It gives us a chance of going to the next round.”
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