ASSISTANT boss Callum Davidson says St Johnstone's Euro clash with Spartak Trnava means nothing compared to the grief manager Tommy Wright is suffering.

The big Ulsterman was in Northern Ireland yesterday for the funeral of his mother May.

But he'll return today to Perth for the Europa League third qualifying round first leg clash with the Slovaks.

His No.2 insists football pales into insignificance when compared to Wright's heartache.

Davidson said: "It's not a great time for Tommy and we have sent our condolences to his family.

"We have been on the phone to him every day but the funeral will be so hard for him. It puts things in perspective. Football is just a game.

"Family is the most important thing to us all but losing someone close can give you a fresh outlook on what you are trying to achieve. The Spartak game is massive to us as a club, but there are other things in life which are more important."

Saints, who knocked out Norway's Rosenborg last season, took another impressive scalp last week when they saw off Swiss side Luzern on penalties at McDiarmid Park.

But Davidson admits they're taking a step into the unknown after struggling to find out any info about their opponents.

He said: "We got our hands on a couple of tapes of their European games against Maltese team Hibernians.

"It's really hard trying to find out about these teams, especially for a club like us with a limited number of staff. We only have one guy we put on trains around Europe.

"What we do know is Trvava are a tough team and it will be a different game from Luzern.

"They'll be more direct and will keep their shape really well. A first-leg win is not imperative but it would be nice."