St Johnstone will be looking to erase the memory of their worst performance of the season when they come up against Motherwell at McDiarmid Park tonight.
The Perth side were thrashed 4-0 at Fir Park in November, a defeat which followed on from a 2-0 defeat to Well in the clubs’ previous league fixture.
Results since have shown that the home team is much improved from the Lanarkshire mauling, and Saints defender Dave Mackay is determined to prove that point to Stuart McCall’s men this evening.
“We got a real doing the last time,” he admitted.
“I would probably say it was our worst display of the season. They played well but we were really poor.
“The goals were flying in that night. It finished 4-0 in the end, but it could have been even worse.
“We’ve tightened up a lot since then, though. Now we’ll be looking to do the business regularly at the other end of the pitch.
“I would say that we haven’t done ourselves justice in both Motherwell matches, so we want to put that right.”
Even without their desire to set the record straight, Saints aren’t lacking for motivation.
This could be a pivotal moment in their quest for a top-six SPL finish, as a win would take them to within two points of their opponents.
Mackay said, “We know that we can put ourselves right into the mix, but we also know that a defeat would create a big gap and we might be struggling to push for a spot in the top half of the table.
“So it’s a really big match and it’s one I feel we’re definitely capable of winning.”
When Saints are playing a home game these days the state of the McDiarmid playing surface and the effect this will have on the outcome is a hot topic.
There’s a school of thought that attackers suffer more than defenders on the uneven turf, but the former Livingston and Dundee full-back doesn’t subscribe to it.Bad bounceHe knows the Perth backline need to be on their guard, explaining, “When a ball comes across and you go to clear it only for it to bounce up and hit you on the knee, you don’t look too clever.
“It’s really poor and it’s been like that since we played Celtic in the League Cup (in October).
“Obviously the weather hasn’t helped it any.
“At the moment, I think we’d rather be playing away from home on a decent surface, but we just have to get on with it and try to find a way of playing on it.
“Motherwell used to be the club getting stick for the quality of their pitch but they sorted it out. Hopefully we can do the same in the summer.”
Manager Derek McInnes will make a late decision on whether to include sickness bug victim Jamie Adams in his squad.
McInnes commented, “Motherwell got a good win over Hibs at the weekend. Stuart is trying to bring in some of his own signings after losing a few players.
“But they are still what you expect from a Motherwell team, with experience, pace and a goal threat.Tough opposition”But we want to be tough opposition for any team.
“We know we have to ask more questions of Motherwell than we did of St Mirren at the weekend, but I didn’t feel at any time we were going to lose a goal and that is really pleasing.
“It provides us with a solid platform, but the onus is on us at home.
“There was a flatness about our performance and a sense of frustration and disappointment because we were expected to win.
“We have put in a couple of poor performances against Motherwell this season, for whatever reason, but we go into this one in far better shape.
“We have only lost to Celtic in our last eight matches, we are unbeaten in four and there have been plenty clean sheets.”
Motherwell are again without Keith Lasley who has a hamstring injury.
Steve Jennings has overcome the knock he played through in the victory over Hibs while Tom Hateley is hopeful of recovering from the calf problem which forced him off.