Marcus Fraser hopes fiery second leg with Brann can bring best out of St Mirren

St Mirren defender Marcus Fraser does not anticipate any extra needle against Brann because of the manner of their late equaliser but he believes a fiery encounter will bring out the best in his side.

Toyosi Olusanya levelled in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round, which ended 1-1 in Paisley, shortly after Saints attacked from a throw-in after the Norwegian side had put the ball out of play when one of their players went down with cramp.

When quizzed on the incident by Norwegian journalists, St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson revealed his players felt Brann were trying to waste time and played on as normal.

Fraser does not expect the controversy to spill into the second leg, but he is prepared for anything as both sides battle for a place in the play-offs on Thursday.

“I’m not really sure there’ll be much in that,” the former Ross County player said. “I’ve been on the end of conceding late goals or from some decisions or whatever, but that’s what happens in the game.

“I think when the dust dies down from them, they’ll kind of realise that and they’re ‘right, OK, that’s it, move to one side, it’s a new game now’.

“Listen, I think the game is going to be on a knife edge anyway, it’s going to be fiery. It should be, because of what’s at stake.

“We want it to be like that. That’s how we want to play. That’s how us as a team like to play – kind of on the edge and off the cuff. And if we can do that and match them, then we’ll go in there with confidence and hopefully we can get that result.”

Robinson admitted his side must play better in possession to pull off a shock, but Fraser feels small improvements can go a long way.

Fraser said: “We know that within the dressing room when we’re in there ourselves and the doors are shut, we know what we’ve got in there and everyone’s got trust in one another and I think that’s massive in this squad.

“Of course we’re going to come up against good sides, as are Brann, over the course of the season, but we’ve got faith in ourselves that we can go out there and have a game plan, as we always do, and get the job done. So it’s no different Thursday night for us.

“It’s just wee percentages all over the pitch that we need to do better. If we can get those small things right, then that makes a massive difference on the pitch.

“It’s not huge changes, it’s not the best game of our lives or whatever, just wee fine margins that we need to improve on and if we do that then that’s how the manager and the coaches think will win the game. It’s good we’re going into this with a plan.”