ERIC NICOLSON: Max Kucheriavyi has found a Saints calling card

St Johnstone scored their first goals of the Premiership season against Dundee and claimed their second point.

Steven MacLean wasn’t the happier manager as far as overall performance was concerned but he was certainly the happier manager in terms of the final result.

Courier Sport picks out four talking points from the McDiarmid Park clash, as two substitutes staked a claim to start Saints’ next game and one particular area in need of improvement became crystal clear.

Wee Max’s calling card

As Max Kucheriavyi has been progressing his career on loan the question that has followed him back to McDiarmid Park is – what is his best position?

Versatility can be an asset.

It gets you on the bench and helps you accumulate game-time.

But when you’re trying to establish yourself as a regular starter in a Premiership side you really need something that defines you.

Kucheriavyi has got a lovely first touch and can be relied upon to find a team-mate with a pass.

But he’s not fast, not a dribbler and cutting in from the right on to his left foot can be a bit telegraphed at times.

Max Kucheriavyi scores to make it 2-1. Image: SNS.

It would be wonderful for player and club if his timing of runs to the back post and the composure to finish off the chances when he gets there becomes the 21-year-old’s calling card.

Kucheriavyi has already reached a higher goals total for Saints this season than in his two SPFL loans combined.

That’s a big step.

‘Goalscoring midfielder’ would do nicely as his USP.

Kane still able

There have been 11 new recruits brought in during the transfer window.

But one player who has been at McDiarmid for a long time as boy and man – and keeping him fit – will be crucial to Saints’ hopes of staying in the Premiership.

Chris Kane.

It took the concession of the second goal and an air of nothing to lose desperation for MacLean’s team to start getting balls into their centre-forward.

But when that happened, Saints were a side, maybe not transformed, but certainly one that looked like it could put attacking phases together at long last.

He struck the crossbar with a volley at 2-0 and worked the Dundee goalkeeper with a glancing header at 2-1.

He won fouls and generally did Chris Kane-type things.

Chris Kane back in the St Johnstone team making his presence felt. Image: SNS.

Luke Jephcott and Stevie May are both strikers who need a partner.

Kane and Nicky Clark are realistically the only ones who can get Saints up the pitch with the formation MacLean has preferred of late.

There will be a batch of games played by the time the latter is available for selection, you would think.

The former should start when the season resumes against Rangers in a fortnight.

Full-backs high

As with other areas of the pitch featuring new signings, there needs to be slack cut when discussions turn to Saints out wide.

Luke Robinson and Graham Carey were used as a starting combination for just the second time on Saturday, while it was game number one for James Brown and Dara Costelloe.

It’s no coincidence that Saints became a purposeful attacking force and salvaged a point once the two full-backs took the hand-brake off.

Robinson pushed on before picking out Carey driving beyond him on his inside in the build-up to Kucheriavyi’s first goal.

For the injury-time equaliser, Brown was on the edge of the box to make sure the ball could get recycled after Dundee half-cleared, then Robinson drilled the ball across the six-yard box for a back post tap-in.

It won’t always work out as profitably as the last 15 minutes of the Dundee game but, as a general rule, the Saints full-backs, whoever they are, need to markedly rebalance the caution/gamble scales.