THE FACT that Steve Lomas once called Richie Brittain a cheat didn’t come into the St Johnstone manager’s thinking when he was trying to lure the Ross County captain to McDiarmid Park, he has insisted.
Lomas has persuaded the 29-year-old to sign a pre-contract agreement with the Perth club, and he pointed out that the incident at Victoria Park with Rowan Vine, and the Perth boss’s reaction to it, was put to bed long ago.
Vine was sent off after the two men came together off the ball and Lomas said in the wake of the September match: “Brittain’s reaction was an absolute scandal.
“He is a very good player but for him to go down like that to try to get a player sent off? He should be disgusted with himself. He is meant to be a competitive midfield enforcer but he should be embarrassed with what he did. For me, it’s cheating.”
Confirming Brittain has agreed a two-year deal with Saints, Lomas said: “At the end of the day, that’s football.
“I’ve never been the type to hold grudges and Richie’s the same.
“The next day it was all forgotten. We’re both competitive people and there was no problem between us.
“He’s a player I’ve always admired and I tried to sign him in the summer. We didn’t get him then but I’m delighted to get him for next season.
“You get excellent delivery from set-plays from Richie and he’s got an eye for a goal from midfield as well. He’s been an important player for Ross County.”
Lomas doesn’t believe there’s a prospect of Brittain arriving this month.
“I don’t think that will happen,” he said.
“Ross County will understandably want to keep him.”
Nor does Lomas see Brittain as a straight replacement for Murray Davidson, who is out of contract in the summer, and believed to be a target of Rangers.
“They’re two different types of player and I’m still hopeful that we can get something done to keep Murray here,” he added.
Lomas is keen to avoid a repetition of last close season’s scramble to get players on board.
He said: “We’ve got a fair few out of contract again in the summer.
“That will always be the case for a club like St Johnstone but last summer there were too many. It was madness and we don’t want to have a repeat of that.
“This club has been built on continuity. So the more we can do, be it pre-contracts or getting our own players resigned, the better.
“When there’s too many going out, it’s hard to know where you are with your budget.
“That will be down to the chairman and Roddy (Grant). I think the chairman realises there was too big a turnover last year.
“I’d be a lot happier if we got a few of the boys who have been big players for this club over the years signed up.
“I would love to get more pre-contracts agreed but it will be down to finances. The big thing is getting the boys here signed up.”
enicolson@thecourier.co.uk