St Johnstone captain Liam Gordon was “back to what he does best” against Rangers, according to manager Callum Davidson.
And the Perth boss has praised his captain for coming through a mini form slump, while adapting to a new defensive formation.
“Liam was very good on Saturday,” said Davidson.
“It’s hard when you get criticism because players don’t mean to have a bad game.
“They don’t mean to lose matches.
“When you are the captain of a team there is that added pressure to be doing well.
“So you have to stand up, be brave and get through it.
“I always tell players to be brave. It’s a game of football, after all, and if you start worrying about it too much it affects your performance.
“Be brave, have courage to do the right thing and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
“Most of the games, the attitude has been there, it’s just we have switched off and conceded goals.”
Gordon-Considine partnership
Davidson adopted a starting back four for the first time since 2020 for the cup clash with Rangers.
And he was encouraged by Gordon’s central defensive partnership with Andy Considine.
“I think Liam was back to what he does best and, alongside Andy in a two, was very good,” said the McDiarmid Park head coach.
“That’s the first time they have played there together. It’s different to what we have been asking of them so far but they adjusted well.”
Gordon and Considine weren’t the only combination to thrive in the new formation.
“We got Cammy (MacPherson) and Dan (Phillips) in the team together for the first time from the start and I thought that pairing was very encouraging,” said Davidson.
“We have had to wait a long time for it to happen because Cammy was injured for the first half of the season and Dan has been taking time to get up to speed.
“They are young men with loads of energy and are good on the ball.
“A few weeks ago I maybe felt we would need to add someone in the middle of the park, but what we saw on Saturday – if both get a clear run now – then we have what we’re looking for in there.”
‘Good blend’
Davidson added: “Dan has taken time, he played against Rangers early on but then had a few niggles – he’s had a thigh strain and tightness in his quads.
“If he can stay fit then he’s got everything to be a big player for us because he has all the attributes.
“He’s very good on the ball and when he starts to cover ground more, he will get even better.
“People forget he’s only a young man who hasn’t played all that much football, so it’s a new experience for him in a new league.
“With Dan, Cammy, Adam Montgomery and James Brown – we have a good blend of younger players to go with the experience we have.”
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