The joy of a match-winning assist for St Johnstone was written all over the face of Adama Sidibeh on Saturday.
And head coach, Simo Valakari, has also been smiling about the development of his striker’s overall game.
Sidibeh’s goal drought goes all the way back to early August.
But, even though the Gambia international hasn’t found the net in 18 fixtures, he has been listening and learning and putting his shoulder to the wheel for the Perth Premiership survival push.
“Adama did very well when he came off the bench last weekend,” said Valakari.
“We can all see his qualities and his rawness.
“But for me, he’s starting to understand that it’s always about the team and doing what is best for the team.
“He is starting to see that being a striker is not all about firing shots at goal. It’s about holding it up sometimes, stretching the game other times and playing the simple pass if that’s the best thing to do.
“He still has that raw pace and power, he can still score goals – but he is beginning to see how he can do that better in the team environment.
“There are many more ways for him to help the team and I am happy to see the way his thinking is changing.
“Adama is a strong boy.
“He doesn’t always need to turn and go – sometimes just controlling it and making a simple side-foot pass is much more effective.”
Late bloomer
Valakari added: “Although Adama is 26 now, it’s a lot like coaching a young player.
“He has not come into football the normal way. He is a very late bloomer but he has some special qualities.
“We believe there are things here we can work on and develop, for sure.
“He is so strong and he is very honest. The penny will drop for him if he continues to do the right things.
“If you do the right things for the team then good things will happen for you.
“The assist for Bozo last weekend was very good.
“He showed his athleticism with the leap to win the header and set it up perfectly.
“I enjoyed seeing the joy on his face afterwards because even though he didn’t get the goal, you could see him recognise the big role he played in it.
“You could see a bit of the weight coming off him because of the part he played in our win.
“Hopefully that will help him.”
Impact subs
Valakari made three substitutions that played a pivotal part in Saints coming from behind to beat Motherwell – Sidibeh at half-time, Nicky Clark on the hour and then Taylor Steven with 10 minutes left on the clock.
All of those players proved the value of a strong bench and an appropriate attitude.
“Not everyone can start games, but everyone who comes on can make an impact,” said Valakari. “And I have explained that.
“If you start the game on the bench it’s about mindset and being positive.
“If it’s 30 minutes, 20 minutes or five minutes you have to be ready and determined that when you come on, you will make a big impact on the game for that amount of time.
“Modern football has changed now we have five substitutes.
“You can change almost half a team so there are players who can bring so much to the team as finishers.
“A lot of very good players come off the bench these days for their teams and they do that because the manager trusts them to make a huge impact.”
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