St Johnstone

Saints fans, we asked for your views on Saturday's goalless draw with Aberdeen.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Anon: Thought the first half was slow. We always seem to be keeping into thick of things instead of watching the other side of pitch where there is a a free player that could be getting the ball fast up the pitch. It happens every time and needs to change. The second half was a lot faster and better.

Neil: Terrible game! So frustrating again and again. We have no threat up front, then we make subs and it gets worse, just nothing! Aberdeen were not up to much really and we were not showing any class. Few Saints players were good throughout.

Anon: We played alright. I was at the game and it was lovely to see so many fans but wish we got the three points. Only two from safety now though

Willie: Not much between the teams and a draw a fair result. The biggest opportunity of the game was missed by Saints in the first half. We are struggling with a lack of quality in the final third.

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• St. Johnstone are undefeated in their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 27 December 2023 to 3 February 2024, a run of four games.

• Aberdeen have failed to win in their last three games in the Premiership, their last longer winless streak was from 23 November 2024 to 1 February 2025, a run of 14 games.

• St. Johnstone have failed to score a first-half goal in 22 of their 30 games, no team has failed to do so more often in the Premiership this season.

• Aberdeen have committed 12 fouls in this match, higher than their season average of 11.1 in the Premiership.

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St Johnstone and Aberdeen held out a goalless draw at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.

You can catch all the highlights from the Premiership clash over on BBC iPlayer or via this link.

Saints fans, were you at McDiarmid Park on Saturday or following the action from home? What did you make of the game? Are you happy with the point or did you think you deserved all three?

Have your say on the game, external.

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St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari: "I think everyone saw it was a very tight game, not much between the teams.

"We had our chance in the first half, we defended against a very dangerous attacking force, it was a very, very tight game. It's a step forward. We have lost these matches earlier. If we cannot win it let's take the point and it's one point gained.

"We had a good start, put the pressure on them but we did not score. We needed to defend, we needed to fight, needed to create more chances but we couldn't so we'll take the point.

"We came here to win, we need to win but if we cannot win we take the point and you never know how valuable it will be at the end of the season.

"I felt we were very very solid [at the back] against a strong team who attack with power. That's a team effort, our strikers put a lot of energy into the pressing, made it difficult for the opponent in the build up.

"We looked solid and that's the foundation for the survival fight. We will create, we will do the things but we have to be solid."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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When you are battling for your life at the bottom of the league, every point is a prisoner. So this will be gratefully grasped and tucked away for safety.

One is, of course, better than none but, while it sounds greedy, St Johnstone could have done with all three.

Depending on what happens in Sunday's Dundee derby, the Perth side could end the weekend well adrift at the foot of the table.

Of course they might not – but it serves to highlight the perilous situation they find themselves in.

Simo Valakari's team are in a predicament which is about fine lines and what happened against Aberdeen serves to reinforce that point.

His team have now lost just two of their last seven league games but it is wins that will prove priceless over the coming weeks as they continue in their bid to survive.

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St Johnstone have Victor Griffith pushing for fitness while Uche Ikpeazu, Bozo Mikulic (both knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) are out long term.

Aberdeen forward Ester Sokler is back in contention but Kristers Tobers is still out along with Vicente Besuijen (knee), Jamie McGrath and Gavin Molloy (both shoulder).

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Jason Holt hopes St Johnstone's Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden can provide a boost to the club's scramble for top-flight survival.

Simo Valakari's side beat Livingston 1-0 to reach the national stadium, and Holt says they showed different elements to their game.

"It was a really good result which takes us into the semis, most importantly we showed a couple of different sides to our game," he said.

"First half was backs to the wall a bit and we were under a lot of pressure. We got in at half-time and reset a bit and improved in the second half.

"That gives us positive signs that, in the league games, if at any time we are under pressure, we can deal with it and ride it out and know we can come out the other side.

"We're really happy with it, it is massive. It gives us another wee lift going into the weekend, it's back to the league which is the most important thing and what we have set our sights on."

Saints are unbeaten in their past three outings in all competitions and have narrowed the gap at the bottom to three points as they prepare to host Aberdeen on Saturday.

"Take away the game on Monday, previous to that the form's been pretty good and it's put us into a position where it's a lot more competitive, which is how we wanted it going into the last stretch of the season," midfielder Holt added.

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• St Johnstone have only won once in their last nine league meetings with Aberdeen (D3 L5), a 2-0 away win in February 2024.

• St Johnstone have won two of their last three home league games (L1), as many as their previous 20 beforehand (W2 D5 L13), while the Saints are looking to earn successive home wins in the Premiership for the first time since December 2023.

• Aberdeen have suffered just one defeat in their last 15 league visits to McDiarmid Park (W9 D5), a 0-1 loss in May 2022 under Jim Goodwin.

• Aberdeen have lost six of their last seven away league outings (W1), failing to score in five of those matches.

• Kevin Nisbet has been directly involved in five goals in his last four league matches for Aberdeen (three goals, two assists). However, Nisbet has just one goal in seven previous Premiership appearances against St Johnstone, only netting fewer against Hibernian among all sides he has faced in the division (no goals in three games).

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari says reaching the Scottish Cup semi-final is another indication the club are "on the right path" to avoid relegation.

The Perth club defeated Livingston on Monday night to book a place at Hampden where they will face Celtic next month.

Saints, however, remain bottom of the Scottish Premiership but Valakari says he has never lost belief about the team surviving in the top flight.

"It's the semi-final place, no one can take that away from us," he said while previewing their weekend game with Aberdeen.

"We have played nine games, got six wins in all competitions. That's a big thing. I've said it before, it just gives the confidence that we are doing the right things here inside the club.

"We are doing the right things on the field. We are doing the right things off the field, inside the club as well. We are on the right path.

"Yes, winning is the best medicine and it's so nice to see happy faces because it meant a lot."

The Dons visit Perth on Saturday and a win would lift the Saints off the bottom of the Premiership table and above Dundee, who don't play until Sunday.

"Aberdeen are a well coached team with good quality players," Valakari added.

"We know we need to defend very well but again, it's up to us. Can we get back to our way of playing? And maybe in this last match, against Livingston, we could not play our game for longer than what we are used to.

"So in this match, we must try to be in control as much as possible."

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St Johnstone head coach Simo Valakari has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to face Aberdeen on Saturday.

Here are the main points:

• Valakari said Monday night's Scottish Cup win over Livingston was "deserved" and was particularly pleased with the fight and effort shown by his players in a difficult game.

• Insists his side are not thinking about the potential to move off the bottom of the Premiership table with a win at the weekend, adding their full focus is on putting in a good performance and the result should follow.

• The head coach knows they are going to have to be defensively solid against Aberdeen but hopes his players can "get back to our way of playing".

• Valakari stressed he never felt as though his team were "out of it" in the fight for survival and says they're on the "right path" now.

• On the squad, he said everyone got through the game on Monday and Victor Griffith has been back in full training.

St Johnstone CEO Fran Smith says the board was 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. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Sam Miller
Fan writer

Graham Carey's wonder ping against Livingston will rightly go down as a highlight in what has been a turgid season results wise.

Other than beating Celtic in the semi, the only thing that could top it will be staying in the league.

From bookies prematurely paying out on our relegation to two defeats in nine games, the improvement is there to see.

An absolutely massive run up to the split, where we are playing four of the current top five, will be a huge ask.

However, St Johnstone have a habit of never throwing in the towel. We've hit the canvas enough times this season so it's understandable why everyone has written us off - but this is when we are at our most dangerous.

Simo Valakari will have the players swinging until the final bell and landing a knockout blow to Dundee is certainly achievable.

Sam Miller can be found at Dogger Saints, external

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

"It's think it's right up there."

The words of a modest Graham Carey after his 30-yard screamer secured St Johnstone's spot in the last four of the Scottish Cup with victory over Livingston.

Perhaps also telling of the frequency the midfielder scores such magnificent strikes.

His manager, Simo Valakari, and team-mates noted post-match they see the 35-year-old do that on a regular basis in training, but even the man himself couldn't understate the importance of doing it on a Scottish Cup quarter-final stage.

"I think this is right up there just because of the meaning of the goal as well," Carey told BBC Scotland.

"Obviously it was 0-0 and at a crucial time in the game, so to put us on the front foot to go and win the game and get into the semi-final, I think it's right up there."

It was still goalless because of the heroics, particularly in the first half, from Saints goalkeeper Andy Fisher, who denied Andrew Shinnie and Danny Wilson with superb saves.

"I've just stood and saw the ball come at me and I've reacted well to it," Fisher said.

"I got a good dive off but yeah, that's what I'm there to do."

Few folks in the stadium had a better view of Carey's cracker than Fisher, and given he's faced a few in training, he knows opposite number Jerome Prior was left helpless.

"Unfortunately I do face them in training," he said. "I was right behind it, I saw the movement on the ball and I think the keeper had no chance."

We asked for your views on St Johnstone's 1-0 win against Livingston in the Scottish Cup which sets up a semi-final against Celtic.

Here's what some of you said:

Les: We certainly can play better but Graham Carey's goal was worthy of winning any game. Andy Fisher had a couple of great saves first half but we looked far better second half when Carey and Drey Wright came on. Would rather have avoided Celtic but nothing to lose, hope we give it a right go.

Neil: We were lucky. Still much frustration in the crowd playing from the back, it's so nerve-racking to watch. Livi were okay but two good saves from Fisher saved us. Carey's goal good to win any game and I've watch it back 10 times… fantastic!

Donald: We did not play well but a win is all that matters. Carey's wonder goal saved Saints' blushes.

Anon: Very strange that despite winning three cups in the last 11 years, this semi-final will be my first time getting to watch Saints play at Hampden (2014 it wasn't used due to Commonwealth Games, and of course 2021 was still Covid restrictions). Hopefully it will be a memorable game for the right reasons.

Graham Carey's stunning 30-yard strike secured St Johnstone's spot in the Scottish Cup semi-finals against holders Celtic as they narrowly defeated a defiant Livingston.

The substitute winger had only been on the pitch for a matter of minutes when he sensationally let rip from distance to deliver the sole goal of the game.

What did you make of that, St Johnstone fans? A well deserved place in the semis or a near miss?

What do you make of the draw? Let us know your thoughts here., external

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St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari told BBC Scotland: "First of all, we should talk about Andy Fisher's saves in the first half - he kept us in the game. There was some great defending first half as well.

"I see it [Carey scoring] every day in training. What a player. He's got an extra special left foot. Beautiful, and we needed some magic tonight.

"Big credit to Livingston, they put us under pressure.

"It was that we are still strongly in this tie. We knew we needed to do things much better. We didn't have the quality to play under their pressure. We knew they'd press, we could not find second balls, could not find flow or rhythm of our game.

"Second half, everything changed. It was much easier for us. We were not right tactically first half. It looked like we didn't have energy.

"We changed our defensive shape and our players looked much more aggressive, we started winning balls.

"There is no weight on our shoulders in the Cup. In the Premiership, we fight for our survival.

"Barry Douglas said in the dressing room, you think as a young player you'll get many opportunities, but your career goes fast. You might never get the chance again. Now we can enjoy it."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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St Johnstone have fuelled their relegation escape bid with their Cup exploits and now they have the reward of a trip to Hampden to celebrate.

It was with the win over Motherwell back in January that Simo Valakari's ended a nine-game run without victory, and they haven't looked back since.

They were cut miles adrift at that point, with relegation seemingly a foregone conclusion. Since that victory at McDiarmid Park, they've won six of the last nine.

It wasn't always as easy as that in West Lothian. In the first half, they relied on Andy Fisher's heroics in goal and some wasteful Livingston attacking to go into the break level.

But in the second half, they were able to beat the Livi press and put more pressure on the home goal, with Graham Carey's screamer sealing progression.

With the talismanic Irishman on the pitch, seemingly able to score from anywhere, anything is possible. They'll need some more Cup magic if they are to beat Celtic in the semis, though.

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Graham Carey. Has to be the man that won it, but a word for Andy Fisher too. The goalkeeper was pointed out by his manager after the game, as he kept them in it in the first half.

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Holders Celtic will take on St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semi-finals next month.

The tie will be played at Hampden on the weekend of 19-20 April.

Hearts face Aberdeen in the other semi-final.