Michael O’Halloran is happy to play with a target on his back in Armenia tomorrow.
The St Johnstone striker, who flew out to Yerevan with the rest of the Perth squad yesterday, has been identified as a star man by Alashkert FC manager Abraham Khashmanyan.
And if that means some rough treatment is going to come his way in the Europa League first round qualifier, then so be it.
“I saw that their manager mentioned me as someone they’ll be watching so that’s flattering,” the Saints top scorer of last season said.
“It’s nice to hear someone talk about you as a good player.
“It’s not something I’ll be thinking about when the game starts because I’ll be focused on following the instructions the manager has given me.
“It might mean they’ll try to give me a boot once or twice, but I’ll be ready for that and I’m happy to give it back if that’s what happens.
“It should be a good game, although we’ll have to be mindful of the heat. But as long as you get a good fluid intake and are sensible about things, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
It might not be ideal that Saints only have limited knowledge of the team they are about to face, but O’Halloran believes that going into the unknown is part of the charm of a European adventure.
“The gaffer gave us a DVD of their team so I’ve been watching that ahead of Thursday,” he said.
“Preparing for these games is always difficult because of the timeframe and the fact that the teams are unfamiliar.
“But it’s also really good because it’s a new experience and you like to put yourself up against teams from other countries.
“It’s great to be looking forward to another European game.
“The travelling will be a bit more than we’re used to, but we’ll cope with that and with leaving early we’ll have more time to prepare.
“Usually we’d leave on the Wednesday but we’ve gone a day early so the lads can get settled in and ready. We’ll be going for a walk around Yerevan on Wednesday then have a good training session.
“It’s actually not going to be as rushed as these trips usually are and that can only help us.”
Saints have a fine away record away in Europe, and are unbeaten in Tommy Wright’s four matches in charge.
So there’s a quiet confidence that four can become five.
“We are difficult to beat away from home and have done well in other countries in the last few years,” O’Halloran pointed out.
“We like to make it hard for teams to play against us. We showed that in Luzern last year because they were a really good side and that was one of our best performances.
“So we’ve come to Armenia with a lot of confidence because of the way we’ve played away from home in the past. We’ll be going there to win and get an away goal.
“It’s over two legs so we just want to get something to take back to McDiarmid Park.
He added: “Pre-season has been really good and the fact we had such a short break meant we didn’t have to do as much fitness work as you normally would.
“That’s something the team have been used to in recent seasons so we’re well aware of what’s needed to be ready to play competitive matches so soon.
“Getting away to Ireland last week was great for the lads, the two games went well and it was also a chance to get to know the new boys too.
“They have settled in quickly and have looked good in the games we’ve played.
“Everyone has been looking sharp and the Aberdeen game on Sunday was good for just getting the fitness levels up another notch.”
Tommy Wright signed two new strikers in the close-season. Graham Cummins has yet to get started, but John Sutton has already made an impression according to O’Halloran.
He noted: “John has done really well since he came in and scored a good goal against Linfield last week.
“He’s a great finisher and has proved over the years he’s a very good scorer. But he’s also a really intelligent footballer because he holds the ball up well and gets other people into the game.
“A striker like him, someone with a real physical presence, is what we have been missing for a wee while.
“As a wide player it’s good to know that you can whip the ball into the box for him and he’ll be there.
“He’s a very good signing and I’m looking forward to playing with him because we know if he gets the service he’ll score.”