St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson reckons the performance of Cammy MacPherson was a sliver lining to an otherwise miserable afternoon against Livingston.
The 22-year-old completed his first full 90 minutes since joining the Saintees on loan from St Mirren on deadline day.
And while Davidson’s charges slipped to an uncharacteristically error-strewn 3-0 defeat, MacPherson’s showing was heartening.
He was a bundle of energy, delivered dangerous set-pieces — Efe Ambrose and Liam Craig both coming close from his dead-ball deliveries — and made five key passes (Opta), more than any other player on the pitch.
As such, Davidson can reflect on one major positive from a forgettable day at McDiarmid.
“We don’t just write off a performance like that,” said Davidson. “We have looked at it and assessed what we did wrong. We have to learn from our mistakes.
“But there were some plus points from the game.
“I thought Cammy performed really well in his first start. You could see his quality and his energy levels.
“It was great to get 90 minutes under his belt.
“Coming to a new club, you’d want to start straight away but he picked up that unfortunate shoulder injury in a bounce game.
“But we knew Cammy would offer a good delivery from set pieces and from open play — and there is going to be a lot more to come from him.”
St Johnstone Opta analysis: What can be learned from error strewn Livingston defeat?
