St Johnstone’s Brian Easton admits a new-look Ross County will be something of an unknown quantity when they arrive at McDiarmid tonight.
However, at least one of their summer arrivals is a familiar face, last season’s team-mate and member of Easton’s car school Brian Graham.
The Staggies brought in 12 players this summer, including Graham, who had previously been on loan with the Perth side from Dundee United.
Easton shared car journeys to training with him along with Michael O’Halloran and Chris Millar from the west and the big defender joked Graham wasted no time bagging the best seat in the motor.
Easton said: “Big Brian didn’t just have that selfish streak on the pitch!
“But he was a great big guy and we all got on really well with him.
“He was obviously out of contract at Dundee United. Speaking to him last season there were always other teams sniffing about.
“Ross County had been keen to sign him quite early on. I think he’d maybe got it into his head about signing there and moving up.
“It was disappointing to see him leave with the goals he scored.
“It’s been a tough time for him because he’s just had a wee boy and he’s got a young daughter as well.
“It’s maybe difficult for him being up there away from family because it’s not an easy place to just pop up to.
“I’d say he is a bit of a mummy’s boy! He won’t like me saying that but I think he definitely is.
“That’s the thing in football, if you decide to move somewhere like that then your whole family needs to make that sacrifice.
“Everything seemed all right with him a few weeks ago.
“We know how dangerous he can be in the box which will probably help us because we’ll be on our toes that bit more if he starts.
“I met him a couple of weeks ago just after they got back from their pre-season trip.
“He seemed to be enjoying it and he’d scored a couple of goals in pre-season.
“He and the other strikers they’ve got are dangerous so we’ll have to be a lot more on our toes.”
Easton and the rest of his team-mates secured a valuable point at the weekend against Inverness thanks to a last-gasp Graham Cummins goal.
And Easton admitted he hopes Saints can make a better start against the Staggies.
He added: “When we start the game well and we’re right in sides’ faces and working hard as a team, I think that’s when we’re at our best.
“It’s definitely there and hopefully it comes together starting against Ross County.
“We’re a lot better when we start games well and take the lead.
“We know County finished very strongly last season.
“They lost against Celtic but had a great result at the weekend.
“We’re not sure who’ll start but it’s our home game so hopefully we can begin the game well.
“If we do that we’ve got a really good chance of winning.”