St Johnstone are no strangers to suffering a heavy defeat to Celtic (or Rangers) unfortunately.
That goes for every other team in the Scottish Premiership, mind you.
More important than the size of the scoreline when you lose by a lot to either of the Glasgow giants is how you react to it.
Never has that been truer than for Saints, who are now going to embark on a five-game run of post-split fixtures that will determine whether they get relegated, end up in the play-offs or haul themselves to safety.
Courier Sport looks at the Perth club’s bouncebackability after they have lost by six or more over the years to gauge if fans should be fearing a hangover or have confidence Saturday’s Parkhead thrashing will be the “blip” captain Liam Gordon described it as.
August 3, 2019 – Celtic 7-0 St Johnstone
It wasn’t that long ago Saints last went down by seven at Celtic Park.
On day one of the league campaign, coming off a League Cup group exit, Tommy Wright’s side wilted in the Glasgow summer sun.
In terms of what happened next, the ship was steadied to an extent with back-to-back draws against Livingston and Hibs but it took a while longer for any sustained good form to kick-in.
That match will forever have an important place in club history, though.
After coming on as a half-time substitute, Ali McCann proved to Wright he was the real deal.
October 7, 2018 – St Johnstone 0-6 Celtic
Scott Tanser will still be having nightmares about the day James Forrest scored four at McDiarmid Park.
It might not be a template of how to play against Celtic but what followed is certainly a template of how to put it behind you.
A rare Joe Shaughnessy goal! 👏@StJohnstone beat Hibernian at Easter Road #OTD 3⃣ years ago 😇 pic.twitter.com/9atI9BBN1X
— SPFL (@spfl) November 3, 2021
Saints won their next five matches and were unbeaten in eight – all of them in the league.
Jason Kerr and Joe Shaughnessy both popped up with late headed winners, at Fir park and Easter Road respectively.
They were helped by having a free weekend straight after that Celtic defeat to clear their heads and regroup, which Callum Davidson’s side now have the benefit of as well.
October 23, 1937 – Celtic 6-0 St Johnstone
You have to go a long way back for the next six-goal demolition from Celtic.
And Saints were showing an impressive capacity to pick themselves up even then.
They won four of their next five, including a 4-2 victory against Dundee in their subsequent match.
Saints went on to finish eighth out of 20 in the old First Division.
November 8, 1998 – St Johnstone 0-7 Rangers
This might just be the most impressive bounce back of the lot – short-term and long-term.
If you’re going to lose by seven at home, following it up with victories against Celtic and Aberdeen is quite the response.
Narrowly losing a League Cup final and qualifying for Europe on the last day of the season isn’t too shabby either.
August 10, 1991 – Rangers 6-0 St Johnstone
This was Saints’ second season back in the top flight under Alex Totten and peak Rangers under Walter Smith.
There was no shame in losing by a big number on flag day at Ibrox and there was no shame in what followed.
Paul Wright, signed for £285,000 from Hibs, and Ian Redford, a £60,000 signing from Ipswich, make their competitive St Johnstone debuts in a 6-0 defeat to Rangers on this day in 1991. pic.twitter.com/Wq4nEVbYkt
— Saints On This Day (@SaintsOTD) August 10, 2018
Saints only lost two of their next six league games – once more beating Aberdeen and Celtic in that spell.
Eighth out of 12 in the top flight was a perfectly acceptable season’s end.
August 28, 1935 – Rangers 7-0 St Johnstone
Totten’s boys don’t have to wear the ‘heaviest defeat at Ibrox’ crown.
That still sits with the team of 1935/36.
They were made of strong stuff then, mind you.
Back they came to beat Hibs and Dundee – two footballing powerhouses of the era – without conceding a goal against either and then finishing seventh out of 20 in the league table.
October 8, 1938 – Hearts 7-1 St Johnstone and January 28, 1939 – Hearts 8-2 St Johnstone
Special mention has to go to the Saints team competing in the last First Division campaign before World War Two.
There only ended up being a five-point gap between David Rutherford’s side and Hearts so losing by six on both trips to Tynecastle takes some explaining.
Neither loss adversely impacted their general form, though.
Lose big, win big seemed to be the way of things, as Saints scored six on four occasions themselves that season and recorded a 7-0 victory against Partick Thistle.