St Johnstone

Sam Miller
Fan writer

After fighting our way back to where we belong, no Saints supporter is under any illusion about the dogfight waiting for us across the division.

The middle and bottom half of this league could be separated by a hair's breadth. It is going to be absurdly, relentlessly tight. ​Every week the margins are razor thin.

We aren't going to blow teams away and nobody expects us to.

But in a division where fourth place and the relegation scrap are often separated by just a handful of points, survival and stability come down to how you handle the fine details.

​It is all about the odd goal. Saturday was an example of that. One missed penalty by us. One scored penalty by them. That was the difference.

​If we can master the art of turning goalless stalemates into 1–0 wins, or pinching a late winner off a scrappy set-piece, those three points become absolute gold dust.

Crucially, even on the days where things don't go our way, losing by one rather than letting games spiral keeps the goal difference intact and prevents confidence from shattering.

In a league where half the table will be sweating over goal difference come April, nicking tight results and staying competitive in every fixture will see us just fine.

​We have the grit and I've seen enough of the lads to know they fight for each other.

As long as we stay pragmatic, hold our nerve in the tightest moments and edge those one-goal swing games, Saints will do more than enough to anchor our place in the top flight.

Strap in, it's going to be a tense ride, but we've got what it takes.

Sam Miller can be found at Dogger Saints, external

Watch all the highlights from St Mirren's narrow 1-0 victory over St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership as the Buddies continued their winning start to the new league season. Available to UK users only

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St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari: "We know the nature of this league. If you don't take your chance, the opponent will get a chance. They took it. No hard feelings.

"When you look at the game overall, we played - in the first half - a very good 45 minutes. We soaked up some pressure, played the ball. Second half, it was a game of two penalties. They scored theirs and I congratulate them.

"I was very satisfied with the application, how we defended. St Mirren are very good with the ball, they have a transition threat. My strikers were the first to admit that the qualities in the final third... was not there.

"Second half, we got our moments. Last week, we took our chances. This week, we did not. We need to recover and get better at certain things.

"I don't believe in bad or good luck. We need to do better decision making, better executions. Then luck is on your side.

"We have known all the time what we can do. My players are fantastic characters. They want to be here and they've shown they can do that. But we're still very humble, and we don't want to be a naive, nice football side.

"We're here to compete, we did that today, and that's all I can ask."

St Mirren made it two wins from two in the new Scottish Premiership season as Killian Phillips' second-half penalty proved decisive in a tight encounter with St Johnstone.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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St Mirren's Declan John is available following a hamstring injury. Ryan Mullen (thigh) has resumed training, while long-term casualties Keanu Baccus (Achilles) and Jonah Ayunga (cruciate ligament) remain sidelined.

St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari expects to have a full-strength squad available.

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St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari thinks St Mirren have gone "under the radar" this season.

Craig McLeish's side won their Premiership opener with a 2-0 victory over last season's surprise package Falkirk.

They also won three of their four League Cup group stage games, scoring 12 goals in the process and securing a place in the next round as they look to defend their title.

Valakari, whose St Johnstone side returned straight back to the Premiership having been relegated to the Championship in the previous campaign, has been impressed with what he's seen so far.

"I've been very impressed," he said.

"How I see the situation, they had a very difficult last season. They survived through the play-offs. They have been able to work on their game. I can see what they try to do.

"They brought in good footballers but they still have this, how would you call it, the old DNA of St Mirren, that they are very, very tough. They really want to bully you.

"They have Premiership experience there, but the biggest thing is, no one expected anything from them and that's why they're going a little bit under the radar.

"But I have been watching them all the time. I've seen what they're doing in the pre-season games, there's a clear identity what they want to do and good example was the first [league] game.

"They went to Falkirk, not an easy place to go, the surface, the stadium, no away matches in this league are easy.

"They went there and they played a very solid game. They were able to, in the right moments, hold the ball, in the right moments they were very vertical with dangerous running behind.

"That's what I expected from them and they see this opportunity now as, 'we won the first match, now we play home' so they are building up the momentum there and that's why I said it's a tough challenge for us, but it's an exciting challenge for us."

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• St Mirren have lost four of their past five home league games against newly-promoted opponents, winning the other 1-0 against Livingston in December 2025.

• St Johnstone won their last league meeting with St Mirren 1-0 in February 2025 but have not beaten the Buddies successively in the Scottish Premiership since March 2019 (five in a row).

• St Mirren are looking to win their opening two Premiership matches in a season for the first time since 2023-24, when they eventually finished fifth.

• St Johnstone won 4-3 against Kilmarnock last weekend but have not started a top-flight campaign with two wins since 2017-18 under manager Tommy Wright.

• Jamie Gullan registered two assists on his first Scottish Premiership appearance for St Johnstone, while he led all Saints player for shots (4), chances created (5) and touches in the opposition box (6) against Killie.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Defender Cheick Diabate says St Johnstone's promotion to the Scottish Premiership was "a big factor" in his decision to extend his stay with the Perth club.

The 24-year-old joined Simo Valakari's side last summer and played a key role in helping them secure their place back in the top flight at the first time of asking.

He was out of contract this summer but, after weighing up his future, he decided to stay put at McDiarmid Park.

"I think as a player, you always want to play at the highest level possible," Diabate said.

"So a big thing for me was to make sure we were in the premiership because I really wanted to play in this league."

"I heard a lot of good things about it. I've watched it on TV. I've watched many games. There's big clubs in there, a lot of good players. So I wanted to be part of that."

So far life in the Premiership is going well for Diabate. He helped St Johnstone to an opening weekend win over Kilmarnock with a goal that left him "buzzing".

"I was very happy [to score]," he added.

"I was buzzing. It's always good to score a goal as a centre-half. We work a lot on set-pieces so we were working through that during the week. To score a goal, it was a good feeling. But ultimately, we got the three points, so that's the most important thing."

"It's always good to start off well because it makes you have a good feeling about the season. So there's a good vibe."

"Hopefully we can go to St Mirren and just keep that going. It's going to be a tough game, but hopefully we can just keep going."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari hopes prospective new signing Enes Alic can add "balance" to his squad.

The Perth side are close to signing the Bosnian left-back, 26, who is a free agent after leaving Zeljeznicar Sarajevo and previous spells in Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia.

The completed move is "still a working process", although Valakari is "very, very hopeful that we can land him".

The player is still waiting for a work permit and any move will not be finalised in time for Saturday's Scottish Premiership match with St Mirren in Paisley.

Although he's added new faces this summer, Valakari has kept the core of the squad that helped the club achieve promotion back to the top flight.

"It is important because you cannot buy the culture," Valakari explained. "You cannot buy the togetherness.

"You need to live some difficult moments together. You need to experience the moments together.

"And if we talk the football-wise, of course, because we have our principles, how we want to do, it's our behaviours, what we want to do on the field. It's somehow easier because the foundation is there."

Like St Johnstone, St Mirren also won their Premiership opener and Valakari is "very impressed" by Craig McLeish's side.

"They had a very difficult last season," said Valakari. "They survived through the play-offs.

"I can see what they try to do it. They have been working their game. They brought in good footballers there.

"They still have the old DNA of St Mirren, that they are very, very tough. They really want to bully you. They are coming, these duels and the second balls, they come so, so strong.

"They have Premiership experience and the biggest thing, no-one expects anything from them. And that's why they're going like a little bit under the radar."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Simo Valakari has been speaking to the media before St Johnstone's trip to Paisley to face St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

Here are the key points:

• Saints are nearing the signing of 26-year-old Bosnian left-back Enes Alic, who Valakari been looking at for some time. The club waiting for a work permit and the move will not be done in time for this weekend.

• The Saints boss says his squad still have "many, many things we need to improve", but "the biggest thing" is they have three points from their opening game against Kilmarnock.

• Valakari believes being able to keep the core of his squad together from last season could prove significant, saying: "It is important because you can't buy the culture, you cannot buy the togetherness."

• On facing St Mirren, the Finn has been "very impressed" with the Paisley side. "They had a very difficult last season and survived through the play-offs, and still have the old DNA of St Mirren," said Valakari.

• St Johnstone have a full squad to choose from.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Jack Walton - Dundee United

Made several important stops as Dundee United matched Rangers at Tannadice.

Lewis Mayo - Aberdeen

Bundled a vital equaliser home as Aberdeen snatched three points at the death against Hearts.

Martin Moormann - Motherwell

An impressive defensive performance from the Austrian as Motherwell repelled Hibernian's second-half pressure.

Cheick Diabate - St Johnstone

A goal and another big showing from the St Johnstone centre-back as Simo Valakari's side edged a seven-goal thriller against Kilmarnock.

Henry Fieldson - St Mirren

The versatile signing from Queen's Park had a superb St Mirren league debut.

Kieran Tierney - Celtic

Felt like the Kieran Tierney of old. He swung in a sublime assist for Benjamin Nygren's winning goal.

Thelo Aasgaard - Rangers

A moment of real quality to equalise and repay the faith shown in him by manager Derek McInnes.

Killian Phillips - St Mirren

Energy personified. The Irish midfielder made all the difference, scoring twice, as St Mirren beat Falkirk on Saturday.

Jamie Gullan - St Johnstone

Full of guile in their Championship-winning season and normal service resumed in the swashbuckling win over Kilmarnock. Five key passes and two assists for the tricky wide man.

Ibrahim Said - Motherwell

His delight was clear to see as he finished off a fine Motherwell passing move to put Hibs to the sword at Easter Road.

Kevin Nisbet - Aberdeen

The Aberdeen captain thoroughly enjoyed his celebration as he handled the pressure of winning the match for Aberdeen from the penalty spot deep in added time.

Free agent left-back Enes Alic, 26, has agreed to join St Johnstone. (Courier - subscription required, external)

Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Sam Miller
Fan writer

Pundits, journalists and fans all have opinions. When it comes to St Johnstone I can almost guarantee not one person would have predicted the 4-3 scoreline in our league opener against Kilmarnock.

I would have taken a point pre-match (and at another six times during it) but to come away with all three is a massive confidence boost to the players and the fans who felt deflated after the failed Premier Sports Cup campaign.

Was the defending dodgy? Yes. Was there a few suspect performances? Also yes. I'll give everyone a free pass for a few weeks to allow them to get up to speed. It's the first time at this level for most of these boys.

If this is a taste of things to come though, McDiarmid Park will be the hottest ticket in football and there will be more than a few locals greying well before their years.

Sam Miller can be found at Dogger Saints, external

St Johnstone fans, we asked for your opinions on the frenetic 4-3 win over Kilmarnock on the opening weekend of the season. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Brian: Great to score four, but losing three is a worry. Need to eliminate errors at the back.

Euan: A straightforward win today probably wouldn't actually have served us best in the long run. A few scares and pressure on day one is a healthy reminder to the squad that this is a level above last season and we'll need to work hard to stay up and competitive. Can absolutely be done though, as the team proved today.

Roy: What a result! Plenty to work on in defence but, as Simo Valakari said, these three points are ours now, no-one else's. I'm very much looking forward to our top of the table clash in Paisley on Saturday!

Richard: The passing and teamwork is very good, but remember it's the number of goals that count, not the number of passes in the stats.

Ally: Saints were superb, what depth off the bench. Just shows the pundits are full of hot air. If they had to deal with the same sort of scrutiny managers do, they wouldn't last two minutes. They don't know who Stanton, Foulds, Paton and Fotheringham are and yet their blubber seems to carry weight.

Paul: A really strong performance and a well-deserved three points. Defensively we need to sharpen up as all three goals were quite poor, but we looked vibrant going forward and that should give us cause to be optimistic.

John: Fantastic game and great to get 3 well deserved points. Lots of reasons to be cheerful. Would rather win 4-3 every week than 1-0.

Geordie: Great grit, fight and determination, but must tighten up at the back or could be a long, hard season.

St Johnstone's chances of securing a big sell-on fee for Adama Sidibeh this summer have received a blow after the striker, tipped for a £1.5m transfer amid Championship interest, picked up a hamstring injury for Stockport County. (The Courier, external)

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Watch Sportscene highlights from McDiarmid Park as St Johnstone and Kilmarnock play out a seven-goal thriller in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

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St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari: "What a day. It was a big day for the club, to see the Championship flag and play our first Premiership game in front of our fans.

"In terms of the football, our players played well today. We're playing against good players, a quality opponent, and they pushed us.

"Welcome to life in the Premiership, from nothing you are 3-2 down. Then you ask what's happening? We have been tested. This is a different level.

"But our players never gave up, they push and push and push. We always looked dangerous, took care of the defending. We never lost total control and went crazy. We wanted to attack, but in our way, and in the end we deserved to win.

"We played like this last year. It was important to win today because those three points will stay with us until the end of the season. We need to play to our strengths, and our strength is to play with the ball.

"We have so many good options from the bench, but what pleased me most was today was a real squad effort. Everyone contributed.

"I know there has a been a lot of talk, outside noise, where we are with [the squad]. We are not getting carried away, we know where we are and what we need to improve. There might be some suffering in front of us."

St Johnstone made a winning start to their Scottish Premiership return as Kai Fotheringham's strike settled a seven-goal thriller against Kilmarnock.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari has no worries about his side's ability to adapt to life without talisman Josh McPake as they prepare to mark their return to the Premiership at home to Kilmarnock on Sunday.

The winger, 24, scored 19 goals last term and was named PFA Scotland Championship player of the year as he helped the Saints win the second-tier title before earning a move to Hearts.

Despite suffering a group-stage exit in the Premier Sports Cup, Valakari is confident his team will evolve effectively without McPake.

"Of course we are a different team without Josh McPake and how he played last season, that was fantastic," said Valakari. "What I loved the most was the journey he did, coming from basically nothing to be a top player and then moving on, and now it's an opportunity for other players.

"We are not trying to replicate what we did with him because we can't, we don't have Josh McPake, we have different players with different qualities and what I've seen during the pre-season, I'm very confident we can play, we can do our things and be successful."

Valakari is relishing Saints' first game back in the top flight after a year in the Championship.

"It's an exciting moment," said the Finn. "It's a big buzz but at the same time you feel a little bit butterflies, you feel a little bit nervous, but it's so great to get these games going now."