Dave Mackay has shared most of Chris Millar’s goal-less games with him.
So he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity for a celebration befitting the Perth midfielder’s first strike in the best part of four years.
When Millar hit the net in the 87th minute to seal a comeback win for the Perth men, there was no disguising the former Morton man’s understandable elation.
And, Mackay revealed that when virtually the whole of the Saints team piled on top of him, there was also no disguising the fact that Millar wanted them back off as quickly as possible.
“He was at the bottom of the pile when the lads celebrated and I enjoyed that because he was screaming,” Mackay joked.
“He couldn’t breathe but the lads didn’t move and just kept crushing him.
“We’ve given him a lot of stick but he’s deserved it because I think that was his first shot on target as well.
“I can’t believe he’s scored at last, and I can’t believe he kissed the badge either.
“I don’t want to praise him too much because he’s done enough of that himself.
“So all I’ll say is that it was an OK goal. His last was for Celtic Boys Club I think.
“I don’t know if he’s on a goal bonus. I wouldn’t think so. But if he is, the chairman could have offered him any sum he wanted since they’re so rare.”
Mackay added: “Seriously, though, it was great to see him finally get a goal. He was getting emotional after the game because it has been so long.
“It’s great, because he’s taken so much stick.
“He dropped the shoulder and the defender bought it then he just put the shot away.”
The composure Millar showed to first take the ball one way, then change direction and wait for a better opening didn’t speak of a goal-shy player.
It was a finish worthy of ending a drought, and it was worthy of winning a Tayside derby.
But when all the talk has died down of how long that strike was in the making, it will be the result is secured that will be of greater significance.
“We’ve been winning a lot of the games 1-0 so it’s good to prove we can come back against a good team like Dundee United,” Mackay noted.
“The run we’ve been on has been great. We’re hitting form at the right time.
“We were struggling a couple of months ago, people were talking about us being in the bottom two and we were looking over our shoulder.
“We’d lost five games in a row and the confidence had taken a big dent.
“We didn’t look like winning games back then but we always believed we were good enough.
“Our luck has changed, we’ve had a wee rub of the green but we’ve worked hard to earn it.
“It was all about being low on confidence at that time and when you’re like that things don’t go for you.
“But we’ve defended better and are taking our chances when they come along.”
There’s certainly no talk of Saints being anywhere near the bottom two now. And the players themselves aren’t looking behind them.
“We want to be in the top six,” Mackay said. “We’ve done that the last three seasons and at the start of this one that was the aim.
“We wanted to do just as well, if not better, than last season.
“We finished sixth last season and know if you are in the top six, if you win games then you can kick on.
“That’s the approach we had when we finished third but nobody is getting ahead of themselves, getting into the top six is the main thing.”
Nobody could steal the headlines off Millar on Saturday, but Steven MacLean now being a St Johnstone first team member again is a significant sub-story.
MacLean played for the full 90 minutes, after returning from knee surgery, and Mackay admitted: “It’s great to have Macca back.
“He’s our main player because of the influence he’s got.
“When he’s fit and firing on all cylinders he makes us tick. He holds the ball up, brings others into play and is crucial to the way we play.
“We’ve seen how hard he’s worked in the gym and the physio has had to put the reins on him at times.
“With Macca back, then James McFadden and Brian Graham to come back as well the manager has a lot of options.
“It’s a great decision for him to make because they are three quality players.
“When you add Mikey O’Halloran into that we’ve got some great forward players.
“He’s got pace to burn, he frightens teams and with his confidence like it is just now in front of goal he’s flying.”
It was O’Halloran who got Saints back into this game with a header from a Lee Croft cross on 76 minutes.
United believed the ball had struck Mackay’s arm as they attempted to clear it, but referee Alan Muir ruled it had hit his upper chest.
The goal cancelled out Calum Butcher’s opener just before half-time a low sidefoot into the far corner and at the point O’Halloran equalised the Tangerines were actually as comfortable as they had been at any stage.
However, Saints looked the more likely team to grab a winner thereafter, and Brian Easton and MacLean both came close before Millar stole the show.
Manager Tommy Wright felt it was a deserved three points that his team eventually got.
He said: “It was a great goal to finish off a great performance from us. We lost our shape and got picked off for the goal but I don’t think Alan (Mannus) had a save to make. We controlled possession against a very good side.
“Ciftci was fantastic for them and brought them into play on the counter-attack but that was the only real danger they had.”