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Roland Idowu has insisted St Mirren will be driven to Conference League success by their supporters.

The on-loan Shrewsbury midfielder, 22, was left speechless after the team bus received a spectacular ovation upon arrival at the Hlidarendi Stadium in Reykjavik.

Around 400 supporters marched to Valur's neat stadium and packed the streets before welcoming players and staff with booming chants.

If that was the situation in Reykjavik, then Idowu reckons St Mirren most certainly the upper hand in the European contest despite the tie hanging in the balance after the stalemate in the first leg. St Mirren return to the SMiSA Stadium this Thursday with a record capacity crowd to attend the historic fixture.

“I know it was their home game, but from the noise in the stadium it felt like the other way around," said Idowu after the 0-0 draw. “It would have been nice to go home with the win and we maybe should have been more clinical, but that’ll come with time and with games.

“Valur are 15 games in and we’re just finishing pre-season, so when you look at it that way there were definitely a lot of positives to take away.

“Coming off the bus to see so many fans waiting for us set the tone for the night. As a group, we’re good at creating our own momentum, but when you see them chasing after the bus then hear them cheering us as we got off it gives you that something extra.

“The message from the gaffer was that whether we were starting or coming off the bench, we had to get in the groove right away and that’s what I tried to do when I came on.

“It was all about making an impact when I came on and although I couldn’t get us the goal we need to get us over the line, I still felt really positive about what I contributed.

“I had one decent shot when I tried to catch the keeper out and he managed to save it, then I hit a free-kick that was probably too far out and didn’t trouble him, but that’s what I like to do, to have a go when the chance comes.

“Maybe in other games one of them goes in. Hopefully it’ll happen in the home game."

Much has been made of St Mirren's eventual return to the European stage after a 37-year absence. Idowu, though, insists those in the dressing room have been unaffected and instead remain driven to progress and set up a second two-legged tie against either Go Ahead Eagles or SK Brann.

“I don’t think it’s fazed the lads too much. We’ve kept any pressure about it off us," he said of the long wait for European football in Paisley. “We’re a confident and talented bunch who think we’re good enough to play in these games, good enough to go through to the next round and to keep going and going.

“That’s what we’re all aiming for, starting next Thursday.

“The fans give us an advantage in Iceland, no doubt about that, so having a full house back at the SMISA’s only going to get us even more up for it.

“All the boys have such a passion for what we’re trying to do and we spoke in the dressing room after the game the other night about trying to go one better in the home leg.

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Idowu - who previously played for Bohemians and Waterford - was convinced of a move to St Mirren because he'd be working under Stephen Robinson.

Discussions over his role in Paisley, the opportunities afforded to youngsters and the sky-high demands in place left Idowu in no doubt that a move to Scotland would be the right one this summer.

“The gaffer was a big pull for me," he said. "I knew how much he’d achieved at St Mirren and how many young players he’d allowed to express themselves at a good level.

“That’s what really sold me on the club. When we spoke, he gave me a lot of details about what he expected of me, what I was to do, what impact he wanted me to make.

“That was enough for me to know it was the right move.

“The bar was set high last season and the lads probably exceeded what was asked of them, but the job this season is to do even better, the bar’s even higher. We’ve set standards in pre-season and with the work the staff do every day it’s clear the club’s only going in one direction.

“Now it’s up to the players to prove that on the pitch.

“They’ve been such easy group of boys to settle in with, one of the best I’ve worked with. It’s not just one the pitch, off it there’s a real togetherness, a really close bond and that helped me right from the start.”