St Johnstone striker, Adama Sidibeh, has encountered the first big obstacle of a fledgling professional career.
And the 26-year-old’s manager believes he is trying too hard in his bid to get over it.
Sidibeh, a late starter to full-time football, has gone seven Premiership games and three months without scoring.
And the manner in which he snatched at a chance to end that drought in the first half of Saints’ clash with Hearts last weekend shone a light on his growing frustration.
Simo Valakari can sense the Gambia international’s determination to find the the net again but is confident that focusing on other parts of his game is the quickest route back to the goal trail.
“Adama’s is definitely not a normal career path,” said the Finn.
“It’s a romantic football story.
“But these romantic stories always have bumps in the road. You need to get over them before you go again.
“That’s how I see Adama’s situation just now.
“At this point of the story he’s pushing very hard but nothing is going his way in front of goal.
“It’s about how you rise from these moments. I believe that with the raw ability he has, the goals will come.
“Football is a cruel game. Every striker goes through dry spells like this.
“In these moments you have to concentrate on what you can do for the team – how I can help us defend better, how I can hold the ball a bit better, how I can be a part of building up phases.
“I’ve been talking a lot to Adama, Benji (Kimpioka) and Makenzie (Kirk) about this.
“I know they want to score but there are many other ways you can help the team.
“The Hearts game wasn’t the best for our strikers doing that.
“It’s amazing how football works – when you do these other things well, suddenly you’re getting more chances and scoring more goals.”
Relax
Relaxing when opportunities present themselves may be easier said than done but it is applicable to Sidibeh’s current situation as he returns to Fir Park, a ground he scored at to help keep Saints in the Premiership on the final day of last season.
“Of course it is possible to try too hard,” said Valakari.
“When you try too hard your body goes tense and you lose the natural flow a striker needs.
“With the chance Adama missed the target with in the first half against Hearts, he had made up his mind that he was going to shoot rather than having more flow and taking the ball closer to the goal.
“He forced the decision rather than letting the decision come to him.
“You need to get through these moments and he will.
“I’m here to help, the coaches are here to help. We support him and we believe in him.”
Andre Raymond returns to the squad, with Bozo Mikulic also available.
Ross Sinclair is injured and will be replaced by Josh Rae in goal.
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