St Johnstone are on to three wins and two draws in Craig Levein’s seven games in charge.
The only teams to beat them are the sides in first and third in the Premiership table.
We’re out of new manager bounce territory and into a spell of sustained improvement.
Courier Sport picks out three talking points from Saturday’s thoroughly deserved 1-0 victory over Hibs.
The next level
Let’s not talk down the triumphs over Ross County and St Mirren.
A win is a win and all that.
Those two matches were the same 1-0 scoreline as Saturday’s.
Make no mistake, though, this was a significant step-up.
Hibs are the best team they’ve beaten – certainly the most dangerous up front – and they were arriving at McDiarmid Park on the back of four wins out of five.
So many impressive statistics underpinned this performance and result.
An xG of just under 1, 14 shots to Hibs’ three, shots on target seven to nil, crosses 17 to 14 and interceptions seven to two.
The winning goal 💙#SJFC pic.twitter.com/68a1ELyBT0
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) December 16, 2023
Saints were more aggressive in their defensive work, less error-prone, more effective in getting the ball to their forward players and far keener to get a shot away.
The fan reaction told its own story.
It was a display, particularly in the second half, that energised them.
Even eight minutes of injury-time didn’t bring about anxiety on the pitch or in the stands.
The foundations Levein had put down in the first few weeks of his reign were important.
This felt like the next layer.
Pace expertly negated
Levein and his assistant, Andy Kirk, deserve the recognition they had already been getting for the improved defensive shape that has been evident since Motherwell’s second half comeback at McDiarmid back in early November.
Yes, there have been blips – the late equaliser at Fir Park the most recent and most costly one.
But in the main, it has been steady and essential progression.
One of the big tactical questions going into this contest was – would the Saints defence be able to cope with arguably the paciest frontline in the league?
The answer was an emphatic ‘yes’.
Not once did Martin Boyle, Elie Youan or any of Hibs’ other fliers expose one of the three centre-backs in a foot race.
Positioning, strategy, team-work and concentration can negate speed.
There was nothing deep or desperate about this defensive display.
Injuries could, of course, change things over the next few weeks.
But as it stands, with Liam Gordon, Ryan McGowan, Luke Robinson and Andy Considine playing as they have been, Levein doesn’t need another central defender in January.
The young star
Easter Road in mid-September as a late substitute was Fran Franczak’s first game for St Johnstone.
But this was his real debut.
An outstanding debut for our academy graduate 🤩
How impressed were you with this young man today?#SJFC pic.twitter.com/L8aRBISMwi
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) December 16, 2023
Saints have been crying out for their wing-backs to be more front-footed and Franczak brought that to the team.
His average position for his 84 minutes’ worth of game-time was in the Hibs half and there were far more touches there than in the vicinity of his own team’s penalty box.
He snapped into tackles, pressed with dynamism, got crosses into the box, nearly scored from a header and produced a bit of individual skill towards the end of the first half that had supporters off their seats and provided a tantalising prospect of things to come in future seasons as he develops into a forward-thinking midfielder.
Given the nature of Wednesday night’s task at Ibrox and the fact he cramped up before getting substituted, Franczak may not start against Rangers.
But the Highland Perthshire boy looks the real deal, alright.
He won’t forget his first Premiership and first Premiership win. Nor will the St Johnstone supporters who witnessed it.
Conversation