Simo Valakari hailed St Johnstone’s “heart and soul” in defeat to Rangers.
The Perth side started brightly against the Gers, threatening on several occasions before going in at half-time with the score-line 0-0.
After the break, however, Philippe Clement’s side stepped up a gear – and Saints struggled to build possession as before.
A Jason Holt own-goal ultimately proved the difference between the sides, though home keeper Josh Rae continued his recent resurgence with a string of tidy saves.
And while the Saints boss acknowledged his side’s attacking drop-off as the game wore on, he insisted he was again satisfied with the fighting spirit they showed, one week after they dug deep to beat Kilmarnock.
Valakari said: “Of course, the result is not what we wanted.
“About the performance, again, it was a little bit where we are with our team at this moment.
“There were a lot of promising moments, there was a lot of heart and soul – there was the maximum heart and soul there.
“But then some moments, the decision making, the final ball – maybe the calmness in the final passes – it’s not there yet. But that’s pretty logical.
“We wanted to stay in this match, compete, give us a chance, compete until the end, and we did it.
“But [in the] final five minutes, we were a little bit out of energy. It was pretty easy for Rangers to defend the lead.
“But overall, there were no surprises from our players. I know what they are capable of doing.
“I know, we all know, the players as well, what we need to improve. And that’s what we are working so hard to do every day.”
Saints’ ‘one-touch’ football
Saints’ strong start saw them stringing passes and moves together as though they were born to it.
Gone was all evidence of the stubborn, unadventurous, clear-your-lines-first football endured by fans and players alike over a number of entertainment-thin years.
Instead, the Perth side were utilising the sort of technically and tactically challenging, one-touch, passing-round-corners approach normally associated with far bigger clubs.
Andre Raymond had Saints’ first effort on goal, firing just wide of Jack Butland’s near post after being sent clear by Benji Kimpioka.
That came after Jack Sanders surged out of defence in possession, hit the by-line, and fired in a cross that, had it been met by a Saints striker, would have resulted in an assist that overshadowed the goal.
On so many occasions against Rangers and Celtic at McDiarmid Park, it has been one-way traffic, with the home side trapped on the edge of their own box, firing hopeful balls toward a striker tasked with holding up the play.
Not this time – or at least not before the break.
Rangers did show their teeth in the first half, with Josh Rae pressed into two solid near-post saves, first from Connor Barron, then from Nedim Bajrami.
But after the interval, the visitors stepped it up.
Valakari replaced Graham Carey with Aaron Essel at half-time, with the Ghanaian taking up position on the right of Saints’ narrow diamond midfield.
The Gers enjoyed more and more of the ball as the second half wore on, with Nicky Clark soon making way for a defensive boost in the shape of Lewis Neilson, whose arrival at right-back, as against Kilmarnock last weekend, saw Drey Wright push higher up the pitch.
Despite those tweaks, with so much possession being enjoyed by Rangers, it felt little more than a matter of time until the breakthrough came.
When it did, courtesy of Jason Holt shinning the ball into his own net under pressure from Tavernier, it came far too easily.
It was yet another cheap concession, of the kind that have already been so damaging to Saints this season.
In the aftermath, Saints were forced into a containment game, with forward forays few and far between.
Having started so brightly, it was a far less lively – and fundamentally different in terms of personnel – home side that finished the game, with Max Kucheriavyi and Josh McPake given the nod from the bench in midfield, while Matt Smith remained an unused substitute.
Valakari talked in terms of hard work at full-time, crediting his developing team with never short-changing each other in terms of effort, particularly on the defensive side.
If he can introduce some of the craft he clearly prizes to his hard-grafting players – and if he is backed in the transfer market – the evidence still suggests more exciting times could be on the horizon.
Conversation