GARY HARKINS believes facing the might of Newcastle was the perfect way to prepare for their trip to Inverness on the opening day of the new SPFL Premiership season.

Saints rounded off their pre-season build-up with a 2-0 home defeat against a Toon side packed full with Premier League stars.

But the former Dundee playmaker has no doubt that rubbing shoulders with the Newcastle giants was a good test for Saints.

Harkins said: "The Newcastle game was a great exercise for us and the perfect way to finish our pre-season.

"You could see that they were a team of big, strong athletes who could also play some pretty good football.

"Guys such as Hatem Ben Arfa, Papiss Cisse, Fabricio Coloccini and the lad Sammy Ameobi, are all class players and it was great to get the run out and the chance to test ourselves against them.

"But we hung in well against them and, especially after the break, were a lot more solid and compact.

"So it was a good way to round things off and has given us a decent platform into the Premiership opener at Inverness."

Harkins has no doubt that his side will travel north determined to take the game to Inverness and get their campaign off to a flyer.

He said: "You want to win every game you play in, but with this being the first game of the new season at Inverness it does take on extra significance as it sets the tone.

"So we will be going up north to be positive and do everything we can to get three points and really get the season off to a good start.

"Inverness are a formidable side on their patch and if you can take three points up there then it is a huge boost."

Harkins started off against the Toon up front alongside Steven Thompson before dropping into his deeper, more accustomed role in the midfield.

But he says nothing should be read into his unfamiliar deployment.

The Saints star said: "I enjoyed the opportunity to play up closer to the opposition box with big Stevie alongside.

"It was a different role, and although I prefer to play a bit deeper and maybe get on the ball a bit more often, you play where you are picked.

"But the manager Danny Lennon isn't going to play all his cards in the last friendly before the start of the pre-season.

"We will just have to wait and see how we line up at Inverness."