Andy Considine had high expectations for St Johnstone even when they were on a three-game losing streak.
Unsurprisingly, he hasn’t lowered his sights now that his new team are on a six-match unbeaten one.
End of August, shooting themselves in the foot frustrations at Tynecastle feel like a long time ago.
And, as Saints attempt to make it a magnificent seven at the most daunting Premiership venue in the country, Celtic Park, Considine’s initial instincts are now married to performances and results that have transformed Callum Davidson’s men into a fifth-placed side with aspirations to push even further.
Asked if Saints’ current status has exceeded expectations given their Premier Sports Cup and early league season struggles, the former Aberdeen captain said: “No, because I have seen the quality of players in this squad and have played against the majority of them.
“I know how good they are. After the Hearts game, which we lost 3-2, I said I feel we are a top six team.
“We have now shown it.
“We have to be consistent and the more good results we get, we’ll be within touching distance of third and fourth, which is where I think we should be.
“We have real quality.
“Boys up on the walls here have won doubles and it’s fantastic to be a part of that.
“Then there are guys like Gowser (Ryan McGowan) who have played in World Cups, others who have gone abroad (Graham Carey) and some who have played for the Old Firm (Jamie Murphy, Nicky Clark and Adam Montgomery).”
Squad depth
Considine has been an ever present in the Saints team – more often than not, with McGowan, Alex Mitchell, Remi Matthews and Melker Hallberg to the side, behind and in front of him.
Victory over Ross County in the absence of that quartet – and the debate about how many of them will return to face Celtic – underpins the ex-Scotland international’s faith.
👋 #SJFC | @AndyConsie4 | #GetMitchOnTwitter | @spfl pic.twitter.com/Is31SaFqf8
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) December 22, 2022
“It tells you how strong and confident the squad is that when we are missing big players like Saturday we have guys stepping in who are full of confidence,” he said.
“And it showed.
“It will hopefully help us as the season goes on.
“That depth isn’t too common in the league.
“I’ve been in squads at Aberdeen which have maybe been 14-15 strong and when three or four are missing you are going into a game thinking: ‘I don’t know if we will get a result’.
“But with the squad we have right now, regardless of who is playing, we are confident of getting a result and that’s a really good mental position to be in.”
Celtic Park demands
All of Saints’ qualities could count for nothing if Celtic hit top form, of course.
“You have to ride your luck,” said Considine.
“You know there’s going to be waves of attack, that they’re going to have a good number of opportunities at your goal and that you’ll need to defend for your lives.
“At the same time when you do turn the ball over it’s about having that positive pass forward to your strikers and midfielders, then we can break from that.
Alex Mitchell scored his first goal for St Johnstone in GW9! 🔷#FFScotland pic.twitter.com/ZHeXmqaEhS
— Fantasy Football Scotland 🏴 (@FantasyScotland) October 10, 2022
“It’s not easy. When you’re at Ibrox or Celtic Park and there’s 50-60,000 screaming at you then there’s massive pressure.
“They press you, they’re full of energy and they’re on you – as soon as you take a touch you look up and see a green and white shirt. It’s hard.
“You have to take your chances in these games because you only get a certain amount of opportunities.
“It might be set-plays, breakaways or something else but when they come, you have to make them count.”
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