St Johnstone

Sam Miller
Fan writer

St Johnstone's trip to Pittodrie on Sunday cannot come soon enough.

​While international football brings its own drama, the three-week hiatus felt completely unnecessary and ill-timed so early in the domestic campaign.

August and September are all about building momentum, establishing squad rhythm and bedding in summer signings.

To freeze the league calendar just as teams are finding their feet kills the natural energy of the season.

A lengthy wait without club football leaves fans stranded without their weekly ritual, staring at an empty schedule right when the competitive fire should be stoking.

​For St Johnstone, breaking up the early momentum disrupts match sharpness. Training sessions cannot replicate the intensity of proper Premiership competition.

​Thankfully, the pause is nearly over. Sunday's trip north provides the perfect opportunity to shake off the rust, grab three crucial points and kickstart the league campaign in earnest.

Sam Miller can be found at Dogger Saints, external

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari stands by his decision to allow Jack Baird to join Raith Rovers despite Zach Mitchell's injury, which ended the 21-year-old's loan from Charlton Athletic, leaving the Perth side short of defensive cover. (Courier - subscription required, external)

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Image source, PA Media

We asked you to rate St Johnstone's season and tell us what Simo Valakari should be focusing on during the international break.

Here's what some of you said:

Jimmy: We've had a decent start with a good win over Killie. Then a run of tough games, which didn't go our way. I think our weakness is our defence, one player in particular is giving me cause for concern. On the positive side we have shown plenty of fight, and I feel we are punching above our weight. I'll be delighted if we finish in the top six, we have the players to do that.

Nathan: I think we are doing well and have a real chance for the top six. Zach Mitchell being out is a huge blow considering he had a really good partnership with Cheick Diabate. I feel that we are a good possession-based football side and not a typical run and punt type of team. Everything's positive at the club and I also think that we have the best left-back and goalkeeper in the league.

As the extended international break continues, we want to hear your thoughts on St Johnstone's opening seven games in the Scottish Premiership.

The newly-promoted Perth side started with a thrilling win over Kilmarnock and have picked up one further victory, while all of their defeats have been by a single goal.

How do you rate St Johnstone's start to the season and why? And what should Simo Valakari be focusing on during the extended break?

Share your views here

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Zach Mitchell is "gutted" after being ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury and has returned to parent club Charlton Athletic from St Johnstone.

The defender, 21, picked up the injury in this month's 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw with Falkirk.

"Everyone at St Johnstone thanks Zach for his contribution and wishes him all the very best with his recovery," the club said.

Mitchell, who had previous loan spells with St Johnstone and Hibs, made nine appearances this season during his Perth stint.

"I'm gutted not to be able to continue the season after what I feel has been a positive start with so much potential," he said.

"I love playing for St Johnstone and both of my spells at the club have been really incredible experiences that I'll always be grateful for.

"Thank you to everyone who has made me feel part of such a great club, especially the fans for their incredible support and for always making me feel welcome. It's been a pleasure to play for you.

"I'm proud to have been part of St Johnstone again, and I hope our paths cross in the future. Until then, I'll be supporting the boys and wishing everyone at the club all the best for the rest of the season."

On-loan Charlton Athletic centre-back Zach Mitchell is still waiting for more scans on the injury he picked up against Falkirk, but St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari fears the 21-year-old will be sidelined long-term. (The Courier, external)

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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St Johnstone striker Louis Lloyd has joined Championship leaders Stenhousemuir on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 22-year-old Welshman has scored once in 10 outings for the Perth side, making two appearances as a substitute in the Premiership this season.

"He's another important part of the puzzle for us," said Warriors manager Marvin Bartley.

"He can play off the shoulder as a number nine or in a supporting role behind another striker. He offers the movement and pace I want, and he knows where the back of the net is.

"Louis has had a frustrating start to his career in Scotland, but he's determined to kickstart it here. His outstanding scoring record in Wales earned him the move to St Johnstone. Once we get him up to our fitness levels, I know he'll be a valuable asset to the squad."

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari says Unax Alvarez is getting closer to his competitive debut since his summer move from Club Deportivo Guadalajara after the forward endured an injury-hit "nightmare start" to his Perth career. (The Courier - subscription required, external)

Sam Miller
Fan writer

As the league takes a back seat for a few weeks, Saints fans will be paying extra attention to the upcoming internationals.

If you had told a St Johnstone fan 18 months ago that Josh McPake would end up in a senior Scotland squad, you would have been laughed out of McDiarmid Park.

​Back then, McPake's career was in complete freefall. After a endless cycle of loans and being released by Rangers, no one would touch him.

He was floating around training grounds, picking up a short-term deal at Stirling Albion just to keep his eye in. When he finally landed in Perth, he was essentially chucked into the side as a last-gasp throw of the dice when Saints were already as good as relegated.

​Yet, McPake took that bleak situation, rolled up his sleeves and set the Championship ablaze, firing us back up with 19 goals and sweeping the player of the year awards.

​Sure, seeing him earn a move to Hearts stung, and seeing him trade Tynecastle form for a national team call-up under Sebastien Pocognoli feels surreal.

But despite the lingering pain of losing our star man, it is impossible not to be genuinely happy for him. From nobody wanting him to wearing the dark blue of Scotland, fair play, Josh - you've earned it.

Sam Miller can be found at Dogger Saints, external

Sportscene's Steven Thompson and James McFadden review St Johnstone and Falkirk's 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw.

Newly-promoted St Johnstone are sixth in the Scottish Premiership on eight points, while Falkirk are 11th on six points.

Image source, SNS

Simo Valakari revealed how unselfish St Johnstone players set Enes Alic up to be their free-kick hero in the 1-1 draw with Falkirk.

The Bosnian left-back scored his first goal for the club in the sixth minute of stoppage time from a 25-yard set-piece.

That sent Saints heading into the international break in sixth place and high spirits following their late escape.

The Perth side played with 10 men after the 54th minute dismissal of Cheick Diabate.

And they trailed to an Ethan Ross goal on the hour but pinched a point with the last kick of the game.

Saints manager Valakari said Ruari Paton and Danny Schmidt were in contention to take the stoppage-time set-piece.

But both players reckoned Alic's left foot was the best route to a leveller after assessment of the chance.

Valakari said: "Everyone wants to be the hero. But I really liked that the boys were talking calmly for that free-kick – about where the wall is, where the goalkeeper is and who it would suit best.

"Unselfishly, Ruari and Danny gave it to Enes. I loved that. They said my team-mate is in a better position to be successful.

"It was a great goal to get us a point. The biggest thing was, as we have seen before, the players showed grittiness, determination and never-say-die spirit.

"We fought to the end again. Our opponents made life difficult for us but we deserved this point."

Diabate was sent off for two bookable fouls on Falkirk scorer Ross.

Home fans appeared to feel referee Calum Scott gave too many decisions against their side.

And Valakari reckons that sense of grievance from the stands may have helped rally his players.

"For the referee it wasn't the easiest game," he said. "There were a lot of incidents towards the end that our supporters and players weren't happy about and that definitely helped us.

"Our fans were fantastic, pushing our players forward and putting pressure on the referee. That, 100%, helped us."

St Johnstone leave it late to equaliser against Falkirk in a 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw (UK only).

St Johnstone fans, we asked for your opinions on the late 1-1 draw with Falkirk. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Mike: It wasn't a great game of football but the referee did his very best to ruin it further. Absolutely no consistency when it came to bookable offences, with the Falkirk players immune to punishment. Alic's free kick was a peach and the least we deserved.

Brogan: I don't understand how a team that commits 18 fouls and a player commits eight fouls by himself gets zero yellow cards. Yet, Chieck Diabate gets sent off for the only two fouls he commits. Awful refereeing. Falkirk, darling boys, getting the rub of the green again.

Roy: One of the dullest first 45 minutes I've seen in a while. Well worked goal from Falkirk but what a strike from Enes Alic - he is the find of the season. Top half of the table looks good, but all bunching up and it's going to be a tight season from third to 12th.

Kevin: The players took a while to get used to the windy conditions, a problem a lot of them haven't faced before, resulting in a lot of misplaced crosses and passing. This was not helped at all by some unbelievable refereeing decisions which seemed to produce cards for just Saints, resulting in the red card for a shirt tug, which somehow was worse than all the others that happened.

Falkirk tried their best to steal the game with a marvellous show of gamesmanship but this Saints side don't lay down arms easily and the last kick of the game by Alic showed the quality this team are building.

Image source, SNS

Head coach Simo Valakari said of St Johnstone's late goal: "It was a moment in which we showed quality, and we needed it. It was not the prettiest game, for many reasons, but we fought through it.

"It tells you how tight this league is. There was nothing between the teams. With the red card, we put everything into it and I was very pleased.

"I enjoyed how we played in the last 20 minutes, there was a never-say-die attitude and we just pushed and pushed.

"It's a big show of character.

"We have a big queue to take the free-kicks and Ruari Paton is one of the best to take them. That shows how unselfish our team is. The boys saw in that moment it was clearly better for a left-footer to take it.

"I have never doubted our spirit. Sometimes we don't play well, there are things we have to improve, but the attitude is always there."

Ten-man St Johnstone produced a stunning late comeback to rescue a Scottish Premiership point and deflate Falkirk at McDiarmid Park.

Read the match report here

Have your say on the match here

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Jamie Gullan and Zach Mitchell are back for St Johnstone, while Bozo Mikulic remains a doubt.

Falkirk boss John McGlynn has no new injuries for the trip to Perth.

Conor McLeod has resumed training after recovering from a knee injury but the games comes too soon.

Joe Gardner (thigh) and Aidan Nesbitt, Finn Yeats (both ankle) remain out.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Simo Valakari is not surprised by St Johnstone's solid Premiership start, but says there is "a lot of room for improvement as well".

The Championship winners have adapted seamlessly to life back in the top division, where they occupy seventh place with seven points from six games.

As they look to continue their positive start at home to Falkirk on Saturday, Valakari and his players appear to be keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

He said: "Am I surprised where we are? No - because I have seen these players now for one year, I am very happy with the players we have brought in.

"Do I think we are a final product, this is our level? No - we know we need to improve many things.

"At the same time there have been games I have been 'okay, that was pretty okay, complete performance'. Some games I have felt we let ourselves down in some moments and we have not been able to take any points from those matches.

"So I think we are where we should be but there is a lot of room for improvement as well."

Valakari is braced for a tough challenge against a Falkirk side that got their first league win in midweek with a 2-1 home success over Hearts.

He said: "I am very, very impressed with them, how they play football.

"They have big energy, they compress you, they have legs to really put you under pressure and then with the ball they can play some nice football, a lot of rotations, technical players who can receive the ball in a tight space.

"Maybe someone can say 'yes but they didn't start the season well' but their team was not ready, the players were not ready. Now they are getting these players ready and they play at a very high level.

"I think the result on Tuesday night tells you everything so it is an interesting challenge ahead of us."

Image source, SNS

• Josh Fowler has scored 50% of St Johnstone's Scottish Premiership goals this season (4/8), the highest proportion and total of any player for a particular club.

• Falkirk are winless in five away league outings (D2 L3) since a 3-2 victory at Motherwell in April.

• St Johnstone have failed to keep a clean sheet in their past 12 Scottish Premiership games, including all six this season. It's their longest run without a shutout in the top flight since December 2012 (15).

• This will be the first top-flight meeting between St Johnstone and Falkirk since the 2009-10 season, when the Perth side avoided defeat in all four contests (W2 D2).

• After beating Livingston 2-1 in February, Falkirk could enjoy back-to-back top-flight wins over promoted sides for the first time since November 2007, when they beat Gretna twice in a row.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Manager Simo Valakari is not surprised by St Johnstone's solid start to the Scottish Premiership season but admits "there is a lot of room for improvement as well".

After winning the Championship last term, the Perth side have adapted seamlessly to life back in the top division. They are currently seventh in the table with a haul of seven points from their opening six games.

As they look to continue their positive start at home to Falkirk on Saturday, Valakari and his players appear to be keeping their feet firmly on the ground.

He said: "Am I surprised where we are? No, because I have seen these players now for one year. I am very happy with the players we have brought in.

"Do I think we are a final product, this is our level? No, we know we need to improve many things.

"At the same time, there have been games I have been, 'OK, that was pretty OK, complete performance', some games I have felt we let ourselves down in some moments and we have not been able to take any points from those matches.

"So, I think we are where we should be but there is a lot of room for improvement as well."

Finn Valakari is braced for a tough challenge this weekend against a Falkirk side that got their first league win of the season in midweek with a 2-1 home success over Hearts.

"I am very, very impressed with them, how they play football," Valakari said before the Bairns' Saturday visit.

"They have big energy, they compress you, they have legs to really put you under pressure and then with the ball they can play some nice football, a lot of rotations, technical players who can receive the ball in a tight space.

"Maybe someone can say, 'yes, but they didn't start the season well' but their team was not ready, the players were not ready. Now they are getting these players ready and they play at a very high level.

"The result on Tuesday night tells you everything, so it is an interesting challenge ahead of us."

Image source, SNS

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari batted away reports linking him with the vacant Hibernian job, saying: "Every time there is some vacancy somewhere, all the coaches will be thrown in."

David Gray was sacked by Hibs on Wednesday, becoming the Scottish Premiership's first managerial casualty of the season in the wake of a 1-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock that leaves them ninth in the table on six points after six games.

Finn Valakari, who joined Saints in 2024 and oversaw promotion from the Championship earlier this year, is among the early names who have been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Easter Road job.

Speaking before Saturday's league visit of Falkirk, Valakari said: "I have lived most of my football life in the UK and even when I have been outside the UK coaching, every time there is some vacancy somewhere, all the coaches will be thrown in, that is how you guys work it.

"We have a game on Saturday, the full focus is for that."

Asked if being linked with the Hibs job was testament to the good work he is continuing to do in Perth, Valakari said: "No, my players are doing the good job, my club is doing the good job and that is the only reason as a coach you will be linked.

"It is credit to my club, credit to my players that maybe you get mentioned somewhere but, as I said, I lived all my life in football and I know how it works."

Valakari believes the sacking of Gray simply serves to highlight the harsh nature of football management.

"He is my colleague and of course I feel for my colleague," he added. "It tells you the ruthlessness of this business.

"I know with the picture it has happened to me, it will happen to me in the future when you are in this business, unfortunately, so that is how it is but it is always a sad moment but that is football.

"I can use the experience of us last season when we were in the Championship, we were leading from the first day until the last day and when we had a draw and we lost some matches I was the worst manager. There can be, 'we need to do some changes' - that is how football goes."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Scottish Premiership visit of Falkirk.

Here are the main points:

• On Hibs head coach David Gray becoming the first Premiership managerial casualty of the season, Valakari says: "He is my colleague and of course I feel for my colleague", adding it shows "the ruthlessness of this business".

• When asked about being among the early names linked with the Easter Road job, the Saints boss says when there is a vacancy somewhere, "all the coaches will be thrown in", and his "full focus" is on Saturday's game.

• Valakari adds: "My players are doing the good job, my club is doing the good job and that is the only reason as a coach you will be linked."

• With his team seventh in the table, with seven points from six games, the Perth manager is not "surprised where we are" because he has "seen these players now for one year, I am very happy with the players we have brought in".

• Valakari believes there is a "lot of room for improvement as well".

• On Falkirk, the Finn is "very, very impressed with how they play football", saying John McGlynn's side really showed what they can do in their midweek win over Hearts.

• Valakari insists Saints are just taking it one game at a time and the midweek results show what can happen when you are off it.

• Team news - the squad is "all good".

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has revealed that Taylor Steven explored his options away from McDiarmid Park this summer before the 21-year-old winger earned a starting place for the last three matches. (The Courier, external)

St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari has admitted that he felt the need to have a "strong conversation" with Daniel Finlayson after leaving the 25-year-old defender out his side for three games before his return against Celtic. (The Courier, external)

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.