Steve Brown, the St Johnstone chairman, was grateful for what he called "a reminder of what football should be about" after a summer overshadowed by the collapse of Rangers and its consequences.
Brown returned from Turkey, where his team lost 2-0 in the first leg of their tie with Eskisehirspor, impressed by the welcome received by club officials and fans.
"Football has been hijacked by negativity in Scotland for the last three months. But we can't keep complaining about everything," said Brown, whose side will face Olympique Marseille if they can overcome the two-goal deficit in Perth on Thursday.
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