Stevie May has admitted that a free weekend for St Johnstone is a blessing.
And the Perth forward knows there’s a lot to put right over the next fortnight.
Having been dumped out of the League Cup in the group stage, Saints won’t be in last-16 action on Saturday.
They might not be playing competitive football but Steven MacLean is sure to be working his players hard on the training ground after watching a meek display in their 2-0 defeat to Ross County.
“It was tough,” said May. “We need to do better. First ball and seconds, especially – for us all.
“The manager said after the game it wasn’t good enough. We know ourselves it wasn’t good enough.
“A couple of lads came on and gave us a boost but we didn’t manage to get that goal to give us a chance – a little bit of luck at the end of something.
“When you’re not on top for long, it’s important to take your chances.
Ross County got their first win of the season against St Johnstone who suffer back to back defeats ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YOwBele9LW
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) August 12, 2023
“Our chances weren’t clear cut, by any means, but with just a bit of luck, it falls for you and something changes.
“Then the tide changes a bit.
“We have lots to work on this week.
“There’s obviously no game next weekend and I think it has come at the right time.
“We’ll be back on the training field and will hopefully get a few boys back next week.”
Injuries not the only factor
May, like MacLean, didn’t want to hide behind a double digit injury list.
“We’ve just got to keep on working,” he said.
“We’re down to the bare bones at the moment.
“Today we lost the battle. If you don’t win that or compete well enough then you’re not going to give yourself a chance.”
Saints are sure to be busy in the transfer market over the next fortnight, with pace a missing, and much needed, ingredient in this team.
“Losing Drey (Wright) wasn’t great,” said May. “He is one of the ball-carriers who can go by someone out wide.
“It is just about working what we’ve got and we can’t predict what’s going to come.
“We’ve got to do better ourselves.”
May has seen enough slow starts at McDiarmid to know that things can – and will – improve.
“We’re two games into the season,” he said. “So there’s no panic.
“The manager said last week (after defeat to Hearts) there were positives to take. This week, not as many.
“It’s about getting back to doing things right.
“Competing is the first thing – the be-all and end-all.
“When you lose the battle, you don’t have a chance.
“No-one thinks: ‘I’m going to go out and lose the battle’.
“But it happened today.
“We’ve now got the week to hopefully get a few bodies back in after 10 injuries and get back out and work on things that have to be better.”
Shining second half light
May was impressed with Taylor Steven’s contribution as a second half substitute.
“He came on and went forward, was positive,” said the three-time cup winner.
“When that happens it gives everyone a boost.
“Fair play to him as it wasn’t an easy game to come on in.
“Maybe if we nicked one, we would have got something.”
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