HE will face a hostile atmosphere in Russia tomorrow evening but, then again, home hasn't been too kind to Gary Rogers this year either.

The St Patrick's Athletic netminder suffered a torrid time after following Jeff Kenna to Richmond Park from Galway United in the off-season.

Following an indifferent period of form, he received a considerable amount of stick from the terraces but he insists that it never troubled him too much.

However, following a fine display in last Thursday's 1-0 Europa League first-leg win over Krylya Sovetov in Inchicore, the Meath native hopes that he is ready to turn the corner and play his part in an historic achievement.

"I'm playing long enough to know that you've got to take the rough with the smooth," said Rogers, "You get criticism and some of it you deserve, some of it you don't.

"You have to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and get on with it. I train hard with Jody (Byrne -- goalkeeping coach) and if he has criticism for me I'll take it on board.

Trouble

"But I'm not so concerned about getting it from the crowd. If I get it from the manager or the goalkeeping coach, that's when you're in trouble."

Rogers is likely to be in the limelight again tomorrow with the Saints expected to be under the cosh as they protect their unlikely lead in the south eastern city of Samara which they arrived in late last night after a marathon journey.

That said, although the opposition are several grades up the ladder, Rogers believes the Saints can draw heart from their win in Malta in the second qualifying round where they kept a clean sheet to defeat Valetta in blistering heat.

"They had us playing on a poor astro pitch as well," he says, "We were really up against it but we got a great result. We've taken that into the next round, so hopefully we can shock them again now."