Benji Kimpioka got off the mark in style for St Johnstone, with a winning goal against Ross County that any striker would be proud to add to his highlight reel.
It was an important building block for a player whose manager, Craig Levein, observed needed to relax in his new environment.
The Swedish forward will look to further his Perth career step by step after ticking a crucial box in the Highlands.
And he has set himself his next mini target.
“I want to take it game by game,” said Kimpioka.
“But it’s also important to set yourself a goal and work towards it.
“So the minimum is you start at five and if you reach that you have to set yourself another target.
“Five is my target at the moment.”
The 23-year-old added: “This is a big stage in my career.
“Even though I am young I have been around a lot and seen a lot and been through a lot of tough times.
“It’s all God’s timing for me.
“Maybe it didn’t work out before – and it’s been tough – but you have to be strong in the head and when the chance is there you have to take it.
“I set high standards for myself.
“But I really appreciate the confidence I get from my manager and my team-mates.
“They believe in me.
“It was good to get the goal but the most important thing was that it helped my team get three points against a tough team.”
Adding another weapon to Saints attack
Ross County defensive slackness played a part in the early stages of Kimpioka’s goal but the run into the box and the quality of the finish were all about the clinical scorer.
“I’ve been in many one v one situations before and I try to make sure I’m as calm and composed as possible,” he said.
“If you do that then things come naturally.
“A big part of my game is to run in behind defences to help my team or to get a goal myself.
“I’m always looking to try to use it, to run in behind and be a threat and stretch the opposition and make spaces for my team-mates and if not, get the goal myself.
⬆️ Benjamin Kimpioka's silky finish ended St Johnstone's six-game winless run with a 1-0 victory at Ross County ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3y0ObGec7N
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) February 3, 2024
“We are looking to hit teams on the counter-attack, for sure.
“It’s good to be able to add different qualities to the team. We have a lot of qualities already.
“I can see a lot of potentially different partnerships up front which is very good for the team.
“When there are a lot of strikers you want to push yourself even more, which is good.”
Kimpioka credited one of his former coaches with improving his penalty box decision-making.
“The one I can think of is Michael Proctor who is with the Sunderland under-21s and the first team sometimes,” he said.
“He was always on at me to be calm with the finishes.
“Before, I liked to smash the ball with full power all the time to hit the top corner, but it’s more important to be calm and find the corners.”
Conversation