St Johnstone may have lost their last pre-season game to fellow Europa League-bound Aberdeen, but Tommy Wright is satisfied that they will fly to Armenia good to go.
A second half penalty that, had it been in a competitive fixture would have no doubt enraged the Perth boss, gave the Dons their narrow victory at Glebe Park.
But it was exactly the run-out Wright had been hoping for and, with their home-work done on Alashkert, Saints will make the six-hour trip to the Asian border confident of returning with a positive result.
He said: “The two games in Northern Ireland gave us different things one was a passing match and the other a physical one. Today was a step-up and I’m more than happy with our work-out.
“The result was irrelevant but there was enough in the performance to please me and to take into Thursday night’s game.”
On their Armenian opposition, he added: “We’ve got all the footage of their games from last season. We know the different formations they could play.
“But they’ve signed seven players and we’ve no footage of them in their team. All we can do is prepare the best we can and hopefully get a proper performance.
“As always, we’ll be going into it confident of a win.”
Just 35 days after these sides signed off the last season, they were back up against each other at the start of a new one.
With this being the final warm-up before their European games, the two managers would have been happy to see there was an intensity to the match in the early stages.
That was typified by Perth newboy Joe Shaughnessy who barely lost an aerial battle all afternoon.
There was a bit too much intensity for Derek McInnes’s liking on 17 minutes, when Murray Davidson clattered into the back of Peter Pawlett.
McInnes was unhappy with the challenge but referee Andrew Dallas was content to award a foul and keep his cards in his pocket.
By this time Saints could have been in front.
John Sutton did well to anticipate a Mark Reynolds headed-back pass, and when it fell short of Scott Brown the former Motherwell man nipped in. However he couldn’t slip his finish past the keeper.
At the other end captain for the day Frazer Wright headed a dangerous cross ball from under his bar and also got a crucial lunging block on a Pawlett shot from six yards.
Both sides had long-range efforts before the break David Wotherspoon just missing the target with a 25-yard free-kick and Johnny Hayes forcing a good save out of Alan Mannus with a dipping effort from the same distance.
On the hour-mark two good shooting opportunities in the box were squandered, first by Davidson and then Chris Kane. Both men snatched at their attempts.
Mannus has seen back-up keeper Zander Clark play well in the previous two pre-season matches, but the Northern Ireland international hasn’t let his standards slip over the short summer break and had to be at his best to keep out a Rooney shot.
He could do nothing to prevent the Aberdeen winner though.
Substitute Liam Caddis was deemed to have tripped Niall McGinn just inside the box and Rooney gave Mannus no chance with a low penalty kick into his left-hand corner.
Youngster Craig Thomson, who had replaced Simon Lappin, nearly made a name for himself with an 88th minute 20-yarder that Ward stopped low to his right.
In the last minute a McGinn cross was helped on by Lawrence Shankland on to the post, but the score remained 1-0.
Aberdeen now fly off to Macedonia, and McInnes commented: “That game was a real notch above the previous opposition we’ve played.
“It’s always nice to win, but the most important thing was tightening things up.”
St Johnstone Mannus, Shaughnessy (Comrie 83), McKay, Wright (Brown 45), Easton (Rodger 72), Scobbie, Wotherspoon (Caddis 61), Davidson, Lappin (Thomson 79), O’Halloran (Kane 45), Sutton (MacLean 45). Subs not used Clark, McLaren, Gilchrist, Gordon.
Aberdeen Brown (Ward 45), Logan (Taylor 45), Shinnie, Reynolds, Considine (Robson 59), Jack (Flood 45), Hayes, McGinn, Quinn (Shankland 86), Rooney (Smith 72), Pawlett (Goodwillie 59). Subs not used Wright, Rose, Storrie.
Referee Andrew Dallas.