Connor Smith believes his goal-scoring substitute appearance against Celtic can be a St Johnstone lift-off.
The former Hearts man revealed that a home truth delivered by manager, Craig Levein, last month hit the mark.
And he is confident disappointment in Dundee will prove to be a personal Perth turning point.
“He spoke to me after the Dundee game,” said Smith, who was quickest to react to a rebound after Joe Hart saved Stevie May’s 81st minute header on Saturday.
“I knew myself I wasn’t good enough when I came on.
“My energy levels weren’t what they should be – a big part of my game is running about and getting stuck in.
“It was one of those games that just didn’t go well for me.
“He told me ‘that can’t happen again’.
“I apologised. I knew it wasn’t good enough.
“I made sure that this time it would be better.
“I got a goal – my first for the club – and I’m buzzing for that.
“Overall, I thought I made an impact, which is what I was asked to do.”
No mixed messages
“100%,” said the 22-year-old.
“He was like that at Hearts and it’s been the exact same here.
“I’ve always respected and appreciated that.
“I said to him after the game today that what happened against Dundee will never happen again.
“The manager has been brilliant for me.
“His experience will be really important over the next couple of months.”
Bigger picture
Saints are now just one point ahead of Ross County, with Aberdeen having jumped above them.
“We’d hoped to get at least a point but we haven’t done that and other results haven’t gone our way,” said Smith.
“But we’re still above Ross County.
“Keeping it that way is our main aim and we’ll be looking to win as many of our last eight games as we can.
“That’s matches against Rangers and Celtic out of the way as well.
“We’ve got another free weekend with the international break.
“We’ll train hard and get ready for Dundee.
“We knew last time we let ourselves down with the way things finished at Dens.
“Winning against them next time can change everything for us.”
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