St Johnstone ran out 3-0 winners against East Fife in their final pre-season friendly.
But it took 10 half-time substitutions to swing the game in the Perth side’s favour.
A Saints team peppered with senior players huffed and puffed their way to half-time with the scores blank before a youthful group turned on the style.
And as ever, there was plenty on display worth discussing.
Out of left field
Adam Montgomery’s presence at left back was a big plus point for Saints last season.
When it became clear the Celtic prospect (now signed up for the new campaign at Fleetwood Town) would not be returning, there was a sense that Steven MacLean would be left pursuing ‘Plan B’ in that area of the pitch.
Given the lack of football played in recent months by back-ups Tony Gallacher and Callum Booth, fans were always going to wonder whether Montgomery’s departure might turn one of last season’s strengths into a sudden weakness.
It’s early yet, but it appears any such fears could quickly prove groundless.
Gallacher and Booth each got 45 minutes against East Fife – and both impressed in different ways.
Before the break, Gallacher was solid in the tackle and got up and down the touchline comfortably.
But most notably, the ex-Liverpool kid partnered very nicely with Graham Carey, deployed directly ahead of him on the left flank.
The pair’s one-touch interplay – even when Saints were struggling for fluency – caught the eye almost from the off.
Booth took the field after the break as a senior member of a very youthful side and continued his recovery from long-term injury with a commanding performance – and a stunning 20-yard goal.
A bullet from Boogie 😍 pic.twitter.com/ZFePi99tNE
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) July 12, 2023
If he can develop the same sort of understanding with Carey as Gallacher seemed to in the first half, Steven MacLean could find himself in possession of a left side with even more creative potential than last season. And who saw that coming?
Forward in numbers
Without wishing to drag up the past just as a new dawn is breaking, one of the most frustrating things about watching St Johnstone over the last couple of years has been a habitual lack of bodies in attacking areas of the pitch.
With five men pinned back along the edge of their own box and three – or sometimes four – just in front, setting up a break was often difficult, never mind pursuing it successfully over 80/90 yards.
Scoring against Saints might have been a challenge. But scoring was just as challenging for Saints.
Against Dunfermline and now East Fife, the ‘eye test’ suggests Steven MacLean’s brand of football is going to be quite different.
Time and again – even in that sticky first half – crossers found themselves with three, four or even five bodies to aim at in the box.
That Saints never came close to profiting from their numbers in attack before the break is something MacLean and his staff will be looking at – and working to rectify.
Ali Crawford opened the scoring with a clinical finish at the back post 👊 pic.twitter.com/oJrizHtQXs
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) July 12, 2023
But Ali Crawford’s opener (assisted by 15-year-old Fran Franczak) and 16-year-old Jackson Mylchreest’s header for 2-0 both came as a result of the ball being worked high and wide before being crossed into a busy box.
MacLean has talked about building a St Johnstone side that plays front-foot, attacking football. The evidence of pre-season suggests he’s a man of his word.
The next generation
Fans who travelled to last week’s friendly draw with Dunfermline got a glimpse of Saints’ next generation in action.
At Bayview, they got a full 45-minutes’ worth.
And not one of them could have left Methil anything other than deeply impressed by what they saw.
Saints’ first half XI could be fairly summed up as their ‘senior’ group (although a serious lack of depth remains a major issue).
At half-time, all 10 outfield players were replaced, with eight of those 10 coming from the McDiarmid Park youth ranks.
Against an unchanged East Fife side, they took a few minutes to settle, but once they did, there was no looking back.
Young Jackson Mylchreest opened his first team account with a fine looping header 👏 pic.twitter.com/vdP9v2ENz0
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) July 12, 2023
A team largely made up of teenagers went for the Fifers’ throats and didn’t let up until the referee blew for full time.
They dug out three unanswered goals in that time.
The solutions to Saints’ personnel problems don’t all lie with these young players, despite the zeal with which they’ve grasped their pre-season opportunities.
Many will head out on loan this season to sides like East Fife and return to McDiarmid Park as better players.
But between East End Park and Bayview, they have given their manager food for thought – and plenty of it.
One or two might just have earned themselves another shot.
