St Johnstone have built a strong foundation to sustain their Premiership survival mission, according to Dimitar Mitov.
And the Bulgarian international is confident that defensive improvements will be mirrored up front.
Since Graham Carey scored a stunning winner against Ross County over a month ago, Saints have only found the net through a set-piece goalmouth scramble, a penalty rebound and an own goal.
But Mitov believes cutting opponents open and putting their chances away in open-play will soon be a Perth theme.
“At the moment it feels like we are missing that final touch,” said the former Cambridge United keeper. “That final pass in front of goal.
“I’d be worried if we weren’t getting into positions but we are.
“When you’ve someone like Graham, our most creative player in the team, the delivery he has and the passes he can pick, I’m sure that final touch we’re missing will come very soon.
“When that comes, the boys will keep scoring goals. It’s about confidence too.
“They’ve not scored many goals but I’m sure when they start doing that it will become easier for them.
“They don’t need to be taught to score goals, they know what to do.
“With a bit more time and patience and hard work in training we are going to score more goals.”
Game by game improvements
That hard work under the watch of coach, Andy Kirk, is helping to ingrain new match-day habits.
“You can see the changes since the new manager and Kirky have come in,” said Mitov.
“They have their ideal style of play. Slowly, game by game, we are trying different things.
“As you can see, we are a better organised team, really hard to beat.
“We have to maintain this level of consistency and listen to what they demand of us because every game is a different plan.
“I like that about them. They come with new ideas.
“They want us to have the ball a bit more, to have more control of games, not just be a team that accepts to defend for 90 minutes.
“No, we want to be a front foot team that attacks, scores goals and excites fans as well as being a team that defends well. I feel that those ideas are coming to life.”
Mitov has a better insight than most goalkeepers into the life of a forward.
“I was a striker in my early days until I was about 12,” he recalled. “In school I was the biggest kid so it was quite easy for me to run past everyone.
“But I realised I wasn’t going to have a career there. I hate running!
“My dad used to be a goalkeeper so it was quite an easy transition for me to end up there.
“I made the right decision in the end.”
Living with a striker
When Mitov was at Cambridge he shared a house with Joe Ironside, the team’s number nine.
“Big Joe was my house-mate,” he said. “So I’ve lived with a striker!
“We always had jokes and discussions about every time he scored past me in training.
“He’s a penalty taker and I always liked to ask him what he sees when he takes a penalty.
“I wanted to get an idea from a player who scores goals what they are thinking and what they see, to get a picture of what a striker sees from his point of view.
“The more experience you get, you start to read triggers and body language and it becomes more instant.”
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