ST JOHNSTONE'S Alan Mannus maintains the Perth side will get the result they need to progress in the Europa League after wilting 1-0 to Alashkert on Thursday night.

The goalkeeper ensured the McDiarmid Park side are still in contention after succumbing to the European debutants in their Europa League first-round qualifier in searing Armenian conditions.

The seven-hour journey home would have been even more tortuous but for the keeper's contribution.

"We are disappointed with the result over there - and our performance," admitted the keeper, who produced a handful of saves to frustrate the home team and their fans.

"To be fair to them they were good but we were poor. There's no getting away from that.

"We know we have to be much better at home to progress in the competition.

"We certainly can't afford a repeat of what happened in Yerevan. That would give us no chance.

"But we have shown spirit and resilience in the past and we will show it again next week in Perth.

"We know we have to do much better, keep the ball and pass it. We have to be better than them at the basics."

The pre-match temperatures were heading towards 40 degrees and Mannus admits he didn't envy his outfield colleagues.

"The heat wasn't really a problem for me. But as a keeper you aren't running around.

"But it was very, very hot at the start. Then there was a bit more shade and it cooled down a bit later on."

Saints got off to a false start when midfielder Murray Davidson was left dazed and requiring stitches to a head wound after coming off second best in a penalty-box collision with the powerfully built keeper.

"Murray came out of that worse than me. He had to have a few stitches and he had a big bump on his head.

"I suppose these things happen in games. But then he had to go off with the knee injury before half-time. It was such hard luck for him."

Now Saints have to regroup and produce the goods at McDiarmid on Thursday.

Davidson is ruled out, awaiting the results of a scan on a suspected cruciate ligament injury which could sideline him for the rest of the season.