St Johnstone’s travelling support at Easter Road will be one of their biggest in recent memory for a league game.
The best part of 2,000 Perth fans are making the tip to Leith on Saturday.
And James Brown is determined that the Saints players will produce a performance to reward their faith.
With the number of tickets sold currently around the 1,700 mark, as part of Hibernian’s ‘football for a fiver initiative’, Brown said: “That is great especially given what they have seen this season.
“It’s nice to see they are sticking by us.
⚠️🚌| Our first supporter's bus to Easter Road has SOLD OUT, today we can announce a second bus will be available:
•Departs McDiarmid at 12.15pm
•Adult – £11
•U15/over 65 – £8
•Cash on bus (exact fare if possible please)
•Tel 01738 455 000 to book#SJFC pic.twitter.com/8Hn0eTh0HF— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) February 28, 2022
“Everyone knows we are in a tough situation and it’s not easy to get out of it.
“But to have that support is good going there.
“We want to repay them.
“We haven’t won enough, especially for travelling fans who haven’t seen us win as much as we should have or get enough goals.
“It’s a great opportunity to go there with a big following and give them something to cheer. Hopefully the boys can turn it on and do just that.”
Good Easter Road vibes
Even though Saints lost at Easter Road earlier in the season, Callum Davidson’s squad have plenty of good memories against Hibs to draw on.
“We had a great record against Hibs last season,” said the former Millwall man.
“We played them four times and won every game against them.
“It is a place where we are comfortable.
“We know they are a quality side with good players who pass the ball well.
“But we will take confidence from our performance against Rangers.”
A better way to lose
That midweek display didn’t yield any points but it was a far more palatable way to lose than Saints’ previous defeat in the Highlands.
“The second half at Dingwall was nowhere near where we want to be,” said Brown.
“But after conceding the first goal so early against Rangers I thought we made a good tactical switch going from a five to a four.
“It helped us bed into the game and take it more to Rangers.
“The goal aside, it was a performance we could be proud of and take into Hibs on Saturday.
“We know where we are in the league. We know we haven’t been good enough this season.
“Losing that early goal could have been the catalyst for losing four, five or six.
“But it didn’t change the way we went about our business.
“Deep down we can be proud of what we did in the game.”
Brown has now kept Rangers danger man Ryan Kent pretty quiet in both games between the sides at McDiarmid Park.
Not many Premiership defenders will be able to say something similar.
“Kent is a top player,” said Brown.
“You know you are in for a game playing against him.
“It was my job in the team to keep him quiet and I felt I did that to a certain extent.
“I felt I did my bit for the team.
“Hopefully I did enough to keep my place in the team after being dropped for the previous two games.
“We have a big squad so all I can do when I get my chance is to go out and perform.”
