Our last three games have seen us stop the rot somewhat as we've managed two wins and a draw as well as two clean sheets, the only goal conceded coming from a penalty spot. However, we have played the teams in 12th and 10th in the SPL as well as one from the second division so there's absolutely no need to get carried away just yet. We were very impressive against Brechin last week but that was a cup tie against a lower league side. It's unlikely we'll have as much time and space tomorrow against a side that is going along pretty nicely in the SPL.
It's the toughest test of our recent run and if we're to get a win it will require a great improvement on our awful home record against St Johnstone. While we've only lost twice to them at our new home, we have only managed three goals against them and have yet to take three points. You have to go all the way back to August 2004 for the last time we beat them in Paisley in a comical game that saw us win 2-1 on goals and the Saintees win 3-0 on red cards. We also managed to produce a rather entertaining friendly many years ago that we won 3-2, this time the red cards being shared 2-2 in a bad tempered affair that allowed us to give plenty of abuse to Alan Main and Paul Hartley. Games back then seemed to be rather ill tempered between the sides but they have calmed down a bit recently, which is a shame. The encounters have rarely been thrilling, so the prospect of players taking the "Battle of the Saints" moniker a bit too literally was always something to look forward to.
This will be a good marker of whether we have put our bad run behind us or are merely coming up against easier sides. It's the sort of game we should be looking to win if we want to reignite our faint hopes of making the top six. These are pretty far fetched but if we look below us and start worrying about relegation then a home game against the Saintees is one we have to take something from. If we go at them like we did against Brechin then we have a chance, even though we won't have as much freedom to express ourselves.
Kenny McLean's first goal for us came against St Johnstone last year and he seems to be getting better every week. It's now a case of when, rather than if, he gets sold for big bucks to an English club so we should enjoy him while we can. His passing is terrific and it can be fun watching him take pot shots at goal, even if he is a bit ambitious at times. He has been excellent in our last two home games and hopefully he can continue that good form against the men from Perth tomorrow.
He'll probably have a different person alongside him in midfield though as Jim Goodwin is back from suspension. Jon Robertson is likely to be the man dropping out, despite his screamer, while John McGinn could be rested after being subbed early on against Brechin. Steven Thompson should also be back which should ensure we aren't quite as wasteful in front of goal, with Sam Parkin almost certainly the man to make way. As per usual we're without Paul McGowan and Darren McGregor due to injury.
A run of six straight wins saw Steve Lomas go from favourite to win the sack race to contender for the Burnley job in the space of a couple of months earlier this season. It was a remarkable turnaround that had the Saintees suddenly pushing for the top of the table and another stint in Europe. At the moment they can boast an unbeaten record against Celtic - having taken four points out of a possible six from the Hoops so far - and are well placed to make it into the top six for the second year running. This is Lomas' first real spell at management and he probably sees the job as a stepping stone to bigger things and he is certainly going about things the right way when it comes to getting results. He maybe needs to change his approach to referees mind you as he'll be spending the next eight games on the naughty step rather than the touchline for some unsavoury comments he made.
Lomas spent half the summer moaning about the lack of money he had to play with due to Rangers' demise, so it was a surprise that he spent the other half signing up pretty much every striker going. Annoyingly for us, one of those he decided to sign was Nigel Hasselbaink, who turned down a contract extension with the Buddies that reportedly included a fairly hefty wage hike. Personally I feel he's been missed - for starters if we still had him he couldn't have scored against us in October - and he'll undoubtedly be in for some abuse tomorrow. He's performed pretty much as expected, with some terrific performances and some howlers, including a miss of the season contender. Playing him alongside Gregory Tade is an interesting move, Lomas perhaps subscribing to the theory that if his strikers don't know what they're doing then the opposition defenders have no chance. Injuries to Craig Beattie and Steven MacLean, along with Rowan Vine's habit of getting sent off, means Hasselbaink and Tade have played the majority of games. MacLean has done well on his limited appearances and was recently handed a new contract.
Fortunately if they're not scoring the Saintees have plenty of midfielders who will pick up the slack. Murray Davidson was subject of a derisory offer from oldco Rangers before they bit the dust and has been in exceptional form this season, earning himself his first ever Scotland cap. His contract expires in the summer and a move to a bigger SPL club or the Championship surely awaits, so like us with McLean St Johnstone fans should enjoy watching him while they can. Chris Millar and Liam Craig have both hurt us in the past and could well do so again tomorrow, while David Robertson is now out with a broken leg. Patrick Cregg was the forgotten man while at St Mirren, even when he was playing, but seems to have established himself in Perth even though he hardly kicked a ball for Bury last season.
I didn't think a great deal of Alan Mannus when I saw us face St Johnstone last season - although we were unable to take advantage of his uncertainty - but many Saintees seem to think he's a fairly solid keeper. He's now the first choice goalie, although Jonny Tuffey is more than decent back-up but is having to wait for his chance. In Dave Mackay St Johnstone arguably have one of the best rightbacks in the SPL but the good news for us he's suspended for tomorrow's game after being a naughty boy last week. Callum Davidson's Scotland days are long behind him but he's still doing a decent job in defence, while Steven Anderson is relatively solid at centre back. His defensive partners seem to switch between Chris Miller, Frazer Wright or David McCracken depending on the system and suspensions, but all three are pretty good at this level.
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