Callum Davidson hailed the returning St Johnstone fans on a special night at McDiarmid Park.
Supporters were back at the Perth stadium for the first time in 16 months to watch Saints play out a 1-1 friendly draw with Preston.
And Davidson, who was delighted his players put on a good show, said: “I want to thank the fans.
“I’m glad we got a decent result so they actually clapped me instead of booing me!
“It was great to see and it does change the game. You can tell they change the atmosphere.
“I am just over the moon they are back in and hopefully we can get a few more in soon.”
The crowd of 1000 showed their appreciation for the cup double winners and particularly for goal hero Shaun Rooney in the 32nd minute.
“It was a great moment for Shaun and all the players,” added Davidson.
The overall performance against English Championship side Preston pleased the Perth boss. David Wotherspoon netted the equaliser.
“I am really pleased,” Davidson said. “I thought the first half we played pretty well. We pressed and had really good intensity.
“We created good goal scoring opportunities and were done by a wonder goal. I actually thought it was going miles over.
“We go a goal down, but I thought we responded really well. You could see their attitude.
“I was always going to make changes at 60 minutes and it was great to see some of the younger players.”
