Josh Rae has admitted he wasn’t properly tuned up for the task of becoming St Johnstone’s number one after making a summer switch from Airdrie.
The 24-year-old was selected by former boss Craig Levein to start the season ahead of Ross Sinclair.
However, errors and unconvincing play resulted in Rae losing his place after eight appearances.
Now, back in the side and set to face Rangers tomorrow, Rae reckons being dropped can prove a positive for his long-term Perth prospects.
He’s convinced time out of the spotlight – and working with coach Gordon Marshall – has allowed him to improve and grow into the role.
On reflection, Rae believes he arrived at the club undercooked for the daunting challenge of replacing Dimitar Mitov.
Before signing a two-year deal, Rae had been side-lined since March by a serious head injury suffered against Inverness.
The Saints keeper explained: “I hadn’t played a first-team game for a while before coming here.
“Looking back, that potentially had an impact on me and the mistakes I made.
“I hadn’t thought about it because I was just so keen to get here and get playing.
“But it wasn’t the ideal preparation for stepping up to this level.
“I missed the last few months of the season with the head knock, wasn’t cleared to start training again until June.
“I came here and, straight away, we had games. I don’t think I had the sharpness I needed.
“Although being dropped is never nice, I do feel I’ve benefited from it now.
“When I got left out of the team, I did everything in my power to get better and I feel a lot more ready now to kick on.
“I tried to use that six or seven weeks as positively as I could. I feel I’m better for it.”
Rae was called up at half-time in the home loss to Hearts earlier in the month when Sinclair was injured.
He’s since started at Motherwell and, last Saturday, was boosted by a clean sheet in victory over Kilmarnock.
Simo Valakari has been sympathetic to the plight of his goalkeepers this season.
The manager was aghast that Rae, Sinclair and teenage prospect Craig Hepburn didn’t have a permanent coach until Marshall’s mid-September arrival.
Craig Hinchliffe followed last season’s Player of the Year, Mitov, to Aberdeen in June, after which Levein struggled to find a replacement.
Ryan Esson briefly filled in on a temporary basis before landing the Strathspey Thistle manager’s job.
“Getting Marsh in has been massive for me and the other goalkeepers,” stressed Rae.
“We didn’t really think about it at the time. Ross, Heppy and myself worked away and just got on with it. But since he came in, he’s been different class.
“Having someone to talk to is so important, especially someone who’s played at the level he has.
“When you come off the pitch or after training, he’s able to say what we could’ve done better, give us little pointers on what we should be doing next time.
“As a goalie, small details are the ones that matter, like positioning, how to handle things better.
“It all just feels a lot better now, things are looking up. I feel I’ve improved for working with him.”
Rae is content and comfortable with Saints’ style shift under Valakari.
“The gaffer is asking something different from the goalkeepers too, because he wants it built from the back,” he added.
“I experienced that at Airdrie last season, where everything came from the back and playing out from there.
“What the manager here is asking us to do is similar. It’s good I’ve experienced that before.”
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