Fringe strike duo on target as St Johnstone beat Hearts in closed-doors clash

St Johnstone beat Hearts 3-2 in today’s closed-doors game in Edinburgh.

Theo Bair and Zak Rudden both scored.

Taylor Steven, currently on loan at East Fife with Alex Ferguson, was the other man to find the net.

Interim manager Steven Maclean got exactly what he wanted out of the contest.

He had challenged players who didn’t start against Hibs last weekend to make their mark in the Hearts bounce match.

MacLean said earlier this week: “There were players who didn’t get game time last weekend but this will be an opportunity to stake a claim.

“I told them last week that it’s a clean slate for everyone. I know I’ve been here already but it’s up to all the players what they do from now.

“I told them they can play their way into the team by the way they train and people will be able to play their way into my thoughts on Friday too.

“It’s a chance to work on different combinations and different ideas, so I’ll be challenging them to show how much they want to be involved.

“You never know, someone might step right up and give me something to think about.”