St Johnstone are into the draw for the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.
That has happened since they won the whole thing.
In fact, Makenzie Kirk’s goal on Saturday was Saints’ first in the competition since Shaun Rooney’s famous back post header at Hampden Park.
They have stopped a winless run, which stretched back to November, reaching double figures.
And they have produced their most complete performance for a long time.
Courier Sport picks out five talking points from a 1-0 victory over Motherwell that has raised McDiarmid Park spirits after a bleak midwinter.
A fast start
Whether you regard the start of a game as the first 10 minutes, the first 20 or the first half, Saints made a fast one in whichever one of the three categories you wish to choose – and any other in between.
It’s been a long time since they have been the team seizing the early initiative.
You probably have to go back to Aberdeen away at the start of December.
As on that occasion, Kirk scored Saints’ goal to put them one goal in front at the break against Motherwell.
And, as on that occasion, it was a thoroughly deserved lead.
The Pittodrie performance doesn’t compare when you look at overall dominance, though.
Saints created at least three other glorious goal-scoring opportunities and were unfortunate to not be awarded a penalty.
The game should have been over at half-time.
The second half was about managing the contest on their terms, which Valakari’s side achieved expertly.
But this was a match won in the first.
The new boys
Valakari has very little margin for error in his recruitment work.
He will make at least six signings and, even though one eye is on a long-term rebuild, if Saints’ short-term Premiership survival mission is to be successful, each and every one of the new arrivals will have to significantly contribute to the cause.
Early days – but Saturday was extremely encouraging for the three already in the building.
Andy Fisher claimed corners, saved the one shot that came his way and, as Valakari reiterated, brought calmness to a penalty box that would likely have been chaotic without him in the second half.
You wouldn’t have known Sam Curtis only had one training session under his belt and had to assimilate a week’s worth of tactical instructions during it.
He was aggressive, got tight to his man and showed eagerness to charge into spaces the Motherwell back-three left open down his side of the pitch.
Victor Griffith exceeded expectations.
It would have been reasonable to assume that transitioning from the Panamanian top-flight to the Scottish equivalent would take a bit of time.
We’ll see if Griffith can sustain this level of performance and, hopefully, improve upon it.
But the quality of his first touch, his awareness of opponents around him, the speed and accuracy with which he moved the ball on to a team-mate and his athleticism bode well.
I also liked the tactical foul he made to pull back Sam Nicholson when he was surging through the Saints midfield around the hour mark.
It was a good yellow.
Work is progressing behind the scenes to add two further central midfielders – Jonathan Svedberg and Roman Eremenko.
Like Griffith, both have physical presence.
The prospect of a St Johnstone midfield over-powering an opposition is a new and exciting one for supporters who have been accustomed to seeing a machine gun go up against a peashooter in that crucial area of the pitch.
The old boys
Valakari referenced the impact the recent signings have had on the other players in Saturday’s side.
That’s how it should be.
Good footballers play better with other good footballers, particularly ones who bring the energy and dynamism of Griffith and Curtis.
It’s contagious.
There were a few of the old guard who caught the eye.
Graham Carey, making his 100th St Johnstone appearance, got at defenders and struck the post with a trademark shot cutting in from the right.
Jason Holt returned from his two-game suspension and was back to being the busy and tidy midfield presence that had been so crucial to the early Valakari bounce.
He pressed with intent, he shifted the point of attack and he played a superb first-time through ball between the Motherwell centre-half and wing-back that should have resulted in Kirk squaring to Griffith for a simple finish.
Sprangler and Kirk continue to hit the standards we expect of them while, apart from one incident when they nearly passed their way into trouble, Jack Sanders and Bozo Mikulic comfortably dealt with everything that came their way in the second half.
In a team of round pegs in round holes, though, special mention should be given to Drey Wright.
It’s one thing filling in as the right-sided centre-back of a three late in the game when your team has been reduced to 10 men against Hibs, and in the second period of a contest at Ibrox that was already lost.
It’s another thing starting in that position and not putting a foot wrong all afternoon.
This is a guy who was still predominantly viewed as a pacy winger when he was signed for a second time, let’s not forget.
It speaks to the capacity of Wright’s football brain that he absorbed his manager’s instructions to pick up the right spaces and to his diligence that every time you wanted him to be touch tight, touch tight he was.
You never got the sense that Motherwell were thinking: “Here’s their point of weakness to exploit.”
In the absence of Lewis Neilson, Wright has become St Johnstone’s Mr Versatile.
Long may he be as dependable as this.
The absentees
It was one of those team selections that said as much about who wasn’t in the match day squad as who was in the starting line-up or on the bench.
Josh Rae, Matt Smith, David Keltjens, Aaron Essel, Josh McPake and Cammy MacPherson were all left out.
Rae and Essel were injured.
As far as the rest are concerned, with at least three more players yet to arrive, you would think it’s safe to assume most are contenders for leaving McDiarmid Park on loan or permanently over the next couple of weeks.
The place needed a shake-up.
It’s getting it.
Size isn’t everything
A bit of booing is to be expected when your team is out-played in the first half by a team on a nine-game winless run and rooted to the bottom of the Premiership.
Also, after your team doesn’t force the goalkeeper into a save in the second.
Motherwell were abject and uninventive.
A big travelling support was never going to applaud the players down the tunnel like conquering heroes in those circumstances.
They were let down.
But Motherwell are fifth in the league, with no prospect of going down, have already appeared in one semi-final and are hampered by an injury list that nearly requires a third hand to count.
The ferocity of the full-time disapproval was totally out of proportion.
I can’t think of a recent McDiarmid Park equivalent.
It was verging on the sort of entitlement usually reserved for sections of the Rangers and Celtic fanbases when things don’t go their way.
You didn’t have to read between the lines when Motherwell boss, Stuart Kettlewell, said: “At times, we have had a negative reaction when we won games. I think back to Aberdeen a few weeks ago and we still got a negative reaction to scenarios in the game when we found ourselves 2-0 up.”
Contrast that with the Perth support.
They have witnessed far worse performances than Motherwell’s this season and have watched their team and club sink far lower than where Motherwell are just now.
But they have never turned in this fashion.
Together. Side by side.
Thanks again for your support today 💙#SJFC pic.twitter.com/mKZGTmKUb4
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) January 18, 2025
They deserved to savour the satisfaction and joy of a victory at long last.
“Together Side by Side” as the banners unfurled in the Fair City Unity section of the East Stand spelled out at full-time.
If the Saints players can replicate Saturday’s display when Motherwell return to McDiarmid next weekend, and in a few more games after it, that common purpose may yet turn into something powerful and put a bit of fear into a few other Premiership clubs.
Passion married to perspective is a truer gauge of a supporter than fireworks and flares.
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