After a hugely encouraging run of results, St Johnstone were brought back down to earth by Kilmarnock.
The Perth side had the chance to extend an unbeaten league run to four but that never looked likely one the game got going.
A superb Danny Armstrong free-kick goal from 25 yards out put them on the back foot after just 11 minutes and the killer blow was the same man following up a header that had come back off the bar to double the hosts’ lead one minute into the second half.
Theo Bair pulled one back with a lovely finish in injury time – his first for St Johnstone – but it was too little, too late.
Courier Sport picks out four talking points from the loss in Ayrshire.
Deserved defeat
There was no arguing with the result.
Kilmarnock played like a team whose season depended on the outcome of this result.
They were very good.
Armstrong was a star turn and he wasn’t alone.
For Saints, this was a poor evening’s work.
The loss of Adam Montgomery unbalanced the side and his replacement at left wing-back, right-footed James Brown, conceded the foul that led to the opening goal.
Others who have been very good of late, such as Nicky Clark and Drey Wright, were way below the standards set in the last three matches.
This defeat wasn’t about individuals, though.
Collectively, there was a lack of tempo and passing accuracy.
Enough credit has been banked to chalk this one down as ‘one of those nights’.
It will be a big ask to put it to bed by picking up points against Celtic at the weekend despite (or perhaps because of) the Hoops’ result the last time they came off a Champions League midweek trip.
But putting it to bed with a much-improved performance before the first round of fixtures are completed at Livingston is now the base aim on Saturday.
Ali Crawford’s big chance
This was Crawford’s first Premiership start of the season.
His previous two substitute appearances had been of differing quality – good against Ross County, less so at Tannadice on Saturday.
With Jamie Murphy impressing early in his Saints career, David Wotherspoon back in a match-day squad after 10 months out, Graham Carey hopefully only sidelined for weeks rather than months and Max Kucheriavyi another creative option, the importance of this chance wouldn’t have needed any explanation for the former Hamilton Accies man.
He was lively enough in the opening stages – more so than some of his team-mates – and could have opened the scoring when he, like Nicky Clark just before him, shot straight at Zach Hemming.
Then, with Saints 1-0 down, he made the Killie keeper work even harder to keep out a dipping 20-yarder.
Crawford was as average as the rest of the men in red and white thereafter before being taken off with just under 20 minutes to go.
You certainly couldn’t say he grasped his opportunity with both hands to get be back in Callum Davidson’s starting line-up on Saturday.
The table
Kilmarnock’s need for victory was greater.
But the incentive for Saints was pretty substantial too.
A win would have opened up an 11-point gap to the bottom of the table and a nine-point one to the play-off position.
It would have afforded them the opportunity to play with a bit of freedom, possibly all the way through to the World Cup break.
Any talk of mid-table or top six can be put on hold just now, however.
The table still has a healthy enough look to it from a Perth perspective but, with the champions up next, what’s happening beneath them will continue to be the primary concern for the foreseeable future.
The Bair bonus
A consolation goal wouldn’t normally be worth much attention but Theo Bair getting off the mark certainly is.
The Canadian international finding the net with a sweetly struck shot from outside the box should be exactly the confidence boost he needs.
After signing in January, the weight is off Bair’s shoulders at last.
It will be intriguing to see what comes next.
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