Bradford went down 3-0 in the second leg of their semi-final at Valley Parade, losing 4-0 on aggregate and missing out on the chance of reaching the UEFA Cup, but Hutchings was full of praise for their opponents.

"They proved they are a very good team," said Hutchings. "They counter-attacked superbly and we paid the penalty as they took their chances.

"I thought we did well in the first half, but we then had to push on in the second, and in doing so we gave away the ball far too easily.

"We have to realise that if you do that against good sides, then you are going to get punished. But despite us going out, playing in the Intertoto Cup has been a valuable experience."

And Hutchings hopes that his side will have learnt something ahead of their Premiership opener with Liverpool on August 19.

"We've been playing a European style of football and the way the Russian team played against us is similar to that of the Premiership in the way they kept the ball and took their chances.

"We now face the nitty-gritty with a friendly at Altrincham on Friday. It will be back down to earth for some of our players."