Nicky Clark got post-match déjà vu after St Johnstone threw away a lead again at the weekend.
But the Perth skipper is confident that the big picture at McDiarmid Park is far rosier after their sickening late loss to St Mirren than it was in Dingwall when his two stunning free-kicks were only enough to earn one point for his team as opposed to three.
Saturday’s 3-2 defeat – and the manner of it – was a big blow to Saints’ Premiership survival hopes.
However, Clark believes the game also showed that head coach, Simo Valakari, is putting down meaningful foundations.
“This hurts just as much as Ross County,” he said. “It’s a sore one to take. Being 2-1 up and losing 3-2.
“At worst, we should have got a point. But we are in a better place, 100%, than we were after the one in Dingwall.
“We will work to get better through the week and look forward to next Sunday.”
Need to be streetwise
Clark agreed with his manager’s post-match assessment that game-management was the art Saints were lacking in the closing stages.
“We need to get more streetwise,” he said. “With or without the ball.
“We maybe need to win free-kicks and try to kill the game a bit, take the tempo out the game and see it out.
“We are maybe too honest at times, trying to keep playing the way that we do. Those are things we can work on.
“We need to pick the right options when we get into the final third.
“We had a three v one at one point and we just never picked the right option at the time. But we’ll learn from that.
“Listen, I had a great chance as well. A header that I’m really frustrated with. Nine times out of 10, I score them.
“It was a frustrating afternoon but things we need to look at and get better at, definitely.”
The Saints players were annoyed that referee, Euan Anderson, didn’t stop play in the build-up to Jason Holt’s handball that afforded St Mirren the chance to secure a win from the penalty spot.
“I think the ref said that Jack fouled the St Mirren player first,” said Clark.
“Then the St Mirren player gets up and pushes Jack, gets him in the chest/throat area.
“I don’t know if you need to stop the game for that.
“But it goes on and the ball bounces up and hits Holty on the hand and they get the penalty.
“So, it’s very, very frustrating.”
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