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3 talking points as St Johnstone kick-start campaign in Elgin

Adam Montgomery (centre) fires home for St Johnstone after being assisted by Theo Bair (background right)
Adam Montgomery (centre) fires home for St Johnstone after being assisted by Theo Bair (background right)

Callum Davidson demanded urgency from his misfiring St Johnstone stars against Elgin City.

The Perth gaffer got it – and the 4-2 win his side racked up finally gave supporters something to cheer, despite a pair of late defensive lapses.

Courier Sport was at Borough Briggs on the night they sought to finally ignite their season – and these are our big talking points.


Fed by Bair

Saints fans have been clamouring to see more of Theo Bair for a while now.

In a series of cameos before the summer break, the big Canadian thundered around the closing stages of matches, terrifying defenders with his size and athleticism.

That power is still there – but it’s increasingly clear Bair is no mere blunt instrument.

His capacity for nuanced striking play and an impressive delicacy of touch are becoming increasingly evident.

Twice before his injury-induced withdrawal against Elgin, Bair served as the fulcrum of piercing one-two passing moves that resulted in shots on goal.

Theo Bair nurses his shin after colliding with the Elgin post

The first – a beautifully judged lay-off – allowed on-loan Celtic kid Adam Montgomery to open the scoring. The second – a perfectly cushioned ball ’round the corner’ – sent Jamie Murphy through on goal.

Murphy’s shot was saved, but Bair’s involvement in each move was a perfect illustration of his potential value as a chance-creator.

The speed with which Callum Davidson withdrew him after clocking a gash on his shin, received in a collision with the post after a desperate attempt to finish a Michael O’Halloran cross, is perhaps suggestive that he sees it too.


Carey and Murphy the string-pullers

The signing of Graham Carey raised eyebrows in some quarters over the summer.

It wasn’t a question of quality (evidence exists in sufficient quantity to put that beyond doubt). Instead it was one of vintage.

At 33, would Carey still be athletically equipped to deal with the hard-running, lung-sapping rigours of the Scottish Premiership after three years in Bulgaria?

The strolling manner of his performance against Elgin was vastly encouraging on that front.

On the hottest day of the year – and indeed the hottest of many, many years – Carey seemed to barely break a sweat.

Graham Carey was behind much of St Johnstone’s good attacking work against Elgin

And then there was that left foot.

On numerous occasions, he picked out Montgomery, or O’Halloran, or May with sweeping, perfectly sculpted through-balls.

Jamie Murphy was also to the fore beside him, cajoling and instigating, demanding the ball, forcing movement in and out of possession.

Together, they displayed the sort of urgency their manager had demanded ahead of the trip to Moray.

Keeping both fit will be the trick over the coming weeks and months.


Defensive discomfort

It wasn’t all positive for Saints.

The three-man central defensive unit of James Brown, John Mahon and Andy Considine looked shaky throughout against Elgin.

Kane Hester’s pace saw him get the better of each of the Perth trio as the game wore on.

In the end, he was rewarded when he pounced on an uncertain John Mahon intervention to round Elliot Parish and make the score 4-2.

The three were caught flat-footed by the livewire Elgin front man too often for comfort.

Jason Kerr, Liam Gordon and Jamie McCart were the cornerstone of the double-winning side.

As the current crop become more familiar with each other’s game, things should improve.

They will need to – or Premiership teams will take advantage.

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