There was no sign of Stevie May at McDiarmid Park but at least the St Johnstone fans got to see their team’s first win of the season and a few goals being scored.
With the deal to bring the Saints hero back to Perth hanging in the balance, whether May ends up in Tommy Wright’s side again is far from certain.
What is certain is that they won’t be in the draw for the last 16 of the Betfred Cup. Back to back defeats to Montrose and Ross County saw to that.
However, Wright made it clear he wants two wins to go into the league opener at Celtic Park and the first of those has been convincingly delivered.
Scott Tanser (a penalty) and Chris Kane scored in the first half and Callum Hendry and Matty Kennedy found the net in the second.
It didn’t take long for the pattern of the match to be established – attack v defence.
Just three minutes were on the clock when Kane rattled the underside of the cross bar after latching on to a Michael O’Halloran cut-back.
Keeper Lewis McMinn didn’t get anywhere near it through no fault of his own and when the ball bounced back up, he was fouled by Danny Swanson trying to grasp it.
Saints didn’t have long to wait for their opener, though.
Two minutes later Kennedy was tripped in the box by Chris McLaughlin and referee Steven McLean awarded the home team their second penalty in four days.
Tanser further established his spot-kick credentials with another clinical finish, this time low to the goalie’s left.
Saints were in no mood to take their foot off the gas.
Kennedy and Kyle McClean both tested McMinn from distance and on 13 minutes he was beaten by an angled O’Halloran shot that just missed the far post.
After a bit of a lull, Saints came close to adding to their lead on 22 minutes.
Kane could have gone for goal himself but squared to Kennedy. The winger opted for accuracy over power but couldn’t steer his shot past McMinn.
O’Halloran has shown glimpses of getting back to his direct best in pre-season and the Betfred Cup, and there was another such moment when he left two Brechin defenders in his wake with impressive acceleration before his left foot shot flew over the bar.
Saints had been punished for failing to turn dominance into a bigger lead against Ross County and when Brechin eventually got themselves into the hosts’ box it nearly happened again.
A corner was won, which Dougie Hill met at the back post, forcing a save from Zander Clark. The rebound fell to Matthew Knox, whose shot from close range went over.
Saints had their breathing space on 33 minutes when a deep McClean cross was kept in by Murray Davidson, who presented Kane with an easy finish from four yards out.
Just before the break Ryan McCord came close with a well-struck 20-yarder.
Brechin made a change at half-time, with Paul McManus being replaced by Ross Crawford.
Not long after the re-start Saints passed up two glorious opportunities to make it 3-0.
First Wallace Duffy missed the target with a back post header from a corner and then O’Halloran snatched at a shot after McMinn had been unable to hold on to a Kennedy effort.
It was looking like a matter of when rather than if as far as a third for Saints was concerned.
The Brechin goal was being peppered and Scott Reekie had to head a Swanson shot away from under his bar.
It took until the 73rd minute for the next goal to come, however.
Hendry, brought on 12 minutes earlier, bulleted home a header from a Richard Foster cross after Davidson had flicked it on.
Three soon became four when Kennedy drilled a low shot through the legs of McMinn following a one-two with Swanson.
Kennedy had another goal chalked off for offside late on and 4-0 it ended.
St Johnstone – Clark, Duffy, Tanser, Davidson, Kane (Hendry 61), Swanson, Kerr, O’Halloran (Northcott 68), Foster, McClean (McCann 78), Kennedy. Subs not used – Parish, Anderson, Craig.
Brechin City – McMinn, McIntosh, McLaughlin, Inglis, Hill, Reekie, Reid, Brown, McManus (Crawford 45), McCord (Duncanson 64), Knox. Subs not used – O’Neil, Smith.
Referee – Steven McLean.
