St Johnstone CEO, Fran Smith, has thanked the “phenomenal” Perth support for their backing this season.
And he has reassured them the board were driven by the “club’s best interests” when arriving at their decision to give Celtic three stands for next month’s Premiership fixture at McDiarmid Park.
A Tuesday morning statement confirmed that the treble-chasing Hoops will have supporters in the North, South and East Stands for the April 6 league game between the teams.
Should Celtic beat Rangers and Hearts before then, Brendan Rodgers’ side will have the opportunity to clinch the league title at McDiarmid.
Saints consulted supporters’ groups before making their decision and Smith acknowledged the “strong opinion” on either side.
But he stressed that it was a position they arrived at for this fixture – and it is not set in stone for future clashes with the two big Glasgow clubs.
“We understand that this is a topic of strong opinion amongst our fan base and acknowledge that some will be disappointed by this news,” said Smith.
“Please be assured, as a board, we have made this decision with the club’s best interests at heart.
“As mentioned in our statement, this is not a definitive position and we will continue to monitor and assess it moving forward.
“I would like to thank every single one of our fans for their continued support.
“Their backing around the country has been phenomenal.
“We look forward to welcoming them to McDiarmid Park and Hampden Park for some key fixtures in the coming weeks.”
Courier Sport understands that around 1,200 home fans have attended the games against Rangers and Celtic at McDiarmid this season.
That’s less than half the season ticket figure of 2,800 and less than travelled to recent away games at Dundee and Livingston.
Fan reaction
Reacting to the news on X, the supporter divide was clear.
Blue Heaven posted: “I’m fine with this. The Saints support was always likely to be small for this game so the club might as well cash in on the occasion. My hope is that in years to come our own support will have grown to the point that this won’t be necessary or even possible.”
St Johnstone Analysis explained the opposite point of view, saying: “Naively thought the Semi money might have staved this off. Idea of our entire ground (they’ll still get in the home end) being filled with Celtic fans, likely celebrating a title, just doesn’t encourage me to go. Sad day when your own club makes decisions that force you away.”
Iain Smith suggested that a gesture to Saints fans was the logical next step.
He posted: “Right decision. Give something back though – maybe free buses to Hampden?”
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