St Johnstone’s belief that this can be a season to remember is growing as each week goes by.
”We were on a good run anyway and our manager got his move on the back of us doing well. Their manager was obviously given the sack because of results.”
Mackay admitted Saints were sluggish until the opening goal went in but was rightly satisfied with their response.
”We were really poor for the first half-hour and didn’t get to grips with the conditions,” he said. ”They started a lot better than we did and it probably took a goal from Hibs to get us going. We were fairly lucky to go in at half-time 2-1 ahead but you take that.
”We had to get going because were so slack and could hardly string two passes together. In the second half, though, I felt we were comfortable and it was a good win.”
Mackay’s ball over for Saints’ second goal was arguably as good as the free-kick he fired in for the third.
”I just hoped to chip it in to the back post and Marcus has a great leap on him so I thought he would get on the end of it,” said Mackay.
As for the set-piece, which saw Liam Craig make a dummy run before leaving it to Mackay, the defender insisted: ”It wasn’t rehearsed. I just fancied it, being positioned as it was and with the wind blowing across like it was.”
Lomas, making his home debut in the dugout, was keen for his players to get plenty of credit after, as he saw it, missing out on praise for their performance in drawing with Rangers the previous weekend.
”We have four points from two games (since he took charge),” he said. ”We probably should have had six but there you go. To make a good point at Ibrox a great point we had to go on and win this one, which we did.
”I think they probably didn’t get the credit they deserved last week. It was more about how Rangers had an off day after an international break and not about us out-playing them in every department and statistic of the game.
”So, hopefully, they will get the credit they deserve for coming back like they did against Hibs.
“I felt the lads were fantastic again. If they play with the appetite and desire they have shown in the last two games they are more than a match for anybody.”
The only downer for the Perth men was the injury to striker Cillian Sheridan, who came off after just eight minutes.
Lomas said: ”He has a little problem with the nerve that sometimes goes down to his hamstring. Hopefully, it is more about that than a pull of the hamstring.”
That was the message from defender Dave Mackay after the Perth men made it an uncomfortable afternoon’s viewing for new Hibs boss Pat Fenlon at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.
Fenlon, who had been appointed just the day before, must have thought at one point that his task was not so daunting after all as the visitors bossed the early stages and took the lead through Ritchie Towell on 26 minutes.
However, Saints then took complete control. They equalised on 38 minutes through Fran Sandaza, took the lead just before the break when Mackay’s superb back-post cross was nodded in by Marcus Haber and then rounded things off with a brilliant free-kick from Mackay.
It could have been a more comprehensive win for the hosts and, on this evidence, Fenlon has his work cut out to keep the Easter Road men away from relegation trouble.
Their plight could hardly be in starker contrast to that of Saints, who have not broken stride despite making their own managerial change.
Of course, the installation of Steve Lomas for Derek McInnes was, as Mackay pointed out, brought about for a positive reason, namely St Johnstone’s general good health getting their gaffer noticed by Bristol City.
Hibs’ replacement of the sacked Colin Calderwood with Fenlon was due, of course, to their struggles on the park.
By the time the whistle blew on Saturday, the difference between the clubs was there for all to see.
While it is onwards and upwards for Saints, the Leith men are looking over their shoulders at Dunfermline, Aberdeen and Inverness Caley Thistle.
”It is going great for us,” said Mackay. ”We are still sitting fourth and we have a great chance to make the top six at the end of the season. That has to be our aim.
”The belief keeps growing when you are winning games. We have a hard one at Tynecastle against Hearts next but after this game and the great result at Ibrox there is no reason why we can’t go there and win.”
As for the contrast between the clubs, Mackay said, ”There hasn’t been much change here. The gaffer has altered a couple of things but not too much. Nothing was broken. We were in a different situation than Hibs.
Continued…