Jamie McCart is confident St Johnstone will be ready to hit the ground running.
The Perth defender helped steady the ship when he was drafted in from Inverness Caley Thistle in the January transfer window.
He only tasted defeat from first club Celtic as Tommy Wright’s rejuvenated side clawed their way into the top six before the season was halted prematurely.
Now the centre-back is relishing the prospect of his first Tayside derby, with a trip to face Dundee United beckoning on August 1.
“There is no reason at all we can’t pick up where we left off,” he stressed.
“We came out of last season feeling good because we had turned the corner and were on a run of really good results when it closed down.
“The boys have been flying since we came back and there is a buzz about the place.
“When I arrived in January you couldn’t tell the team had been through a lot early in the season. The mood was fantastic.
“The way the dressing-room was you’d have thought we were in the top half of the table, not the bottom half.
“There is good experience here so many of the lads have been through situations like that before so they knew how to handle it.
“And that helped the younger players along. They had their character tested and they came through it really well.
“That will be massive for them in the years ahead.”
McCart (23) has been impressed with the impact made by new manager Callum Davidson since his arrival from Millwall.
“There’s a freshness about the place, everyone’s delighted to be back and we have a new manager too,” he said.
“The gaffer is young but he has loads of experience having worked here before and then down in England.
“He’s been putting his mark on things, just small changes to get us working the way he wants us to.
“Every manager has a different way of doing things, different routines and different training regimes.
“So once the games start it will be up to us to go out and do the things he’s been asking of us.”
McCart welcomed the arrival of former Caley Jags teammate Shaun Rooney, who had agreed a pre-contract under Wright, and Millwall loan stars Danny McNamara and Isaac Olaofe.
They featured in a weekend bounce game along with trialist and one-time Dundee United winger Craig Conway.
And they’re all set to get more game time today in a friendly with Aberdeen.
“The gaffer has added a few new players and they’ve settled in well,” said McCart.
“They’ve brought a bit of extra quality to the squad and have made us stronger. They’ll be good additions.
“The aim this season will be the same as everyone, try to get off to a good start and then see what happens.
“With the squad we have, there is no reason we can’t have a good year again this time – but nobody will be getting ahead of themselves.”
McCart admitted it has been an unprecedented pre-season regime in the wake of the pandemic lockdown.
He said: The first couple of weeks were strange but it’s what we’re used to now.
“It has been quite a rushed pre-season because the league starts again soon.
“And it’s very different because of the amount of time we hadn’t played for.
“Three months is the longest most of us have spent without playing. The only time you’d do that really is when you’re injured.
“The lads all did their work during the lockdown, they did the running and came back in good shape.
“But sharpness is the thing you really need and that’s what our training has been geared around.
“It’s the sharp movements and working with the ball that we missed out on during the lockdown. So that’s what we’ve been trying to get back.
“You need those minutes in your legs to get the match intensity back – and the only way to do that is to play games.
“You need to play against other players, that’s what brings it back.
“We have had a few games. It has been enjoyable so far and it’s all about being ready for August 1.
“When that comes around we will have played a few more games and I think the boys will be raring to go.
“The fact we are playing bounce games against teams we will come up against in the league is a bit strange, but they’ve been good.
“It’s more for managers and coaches to worry about maybe not giving too much away.
“For us as players it’s a chance to take another step towards being ready.”
McCart is already looking forward to seeing supporters returning to stadiums.
“The sooner fans are back the better because games are so much better when you have a crowd there watching them.
“It’s the start of a new season, it’s fresh and there is a chance for everyone again.
“So I think that will make the games have plenty of intensity and it will be competitive like the league always is.
“It will be something we have to get used to – and hopefully it won’t be long until crowds are back – but I think it will be as close to normal as possible.”
