Callum Davidson rued a disappointing second-half performance as St Johnstone failed to get the goals against Ayr that might have kept them alive in the Premier Sports Cup.

Saints’ hopes of progressing were already remote after costly draws against Annan and Queen of the South left them needing an unlikely sequence of results on the final matchday.

However, after they beat Ayr 1-0 on Saturday, it transpired that another two goals would have lifted them above Queen of the South and given them a high chance of qualifying for the knockout phase as one of the three best runners-up.

“First half I was quite pleased but second half I was really disappointed with how we moved the ball, our attitude and our reaction to things,” Davidson told Saints TV.

“We’ve not lost this season but for me at the moment it feels like we’ve had four losses. We lacked tempo and energy in the second half. We’ve got things to work on.

“It was always going to be a tall order to qualify. We wanted to win the game and we wanted to win with more goals but it was also important to get players minutes on the pitch for the start of the season.”

Although disappointed to exit the competition at the first hurdle, Davidson took some encouragement from the performances of recent signings Graham Carey, Drey Wright and Ryan McGowan.

“Graham’s performance was a real positive,” said Davidson. “Drey was really good, I really enjoyed his performance. Ryan’s hardly trained but he’s kept himself fit on his own and I think you saw little bits from him that will stand us in good stead. He’s got good experience.”