The list of St Johnstone strikers who haven’t scored on their debut is a long and illustrious one.
John Brogan, Ally McCoist, Roddy Grant, Paul Wright, George O’Boyle, Peter MacDonald, Steven MacLean, Fran Sandaza and plenty of others took more than one game before they got off the mark in blue and white.
Few, if any, have scored a more important Saints debut goal than Nicky Clark.
And Courier Sport dives into the history books to find five former Perth centre-forwards who also netted on their first outing.
Willie Brown – October 5, 1985
It doesn’t get much better than a hat-trick on your debut.
Saints were in the bottom division of the Scottish football pyramid, having been relegated the season before.
That only 798 people turned up at Muirton Park to watch Ian Gibson’s team secure their second home league win of the season tells you everything about the club’s plight at that time.
At least they were treated to an ‘I was there’ occasion, though.
1985 | Willie "Molly" Brown scores a hat trick on his St Johnstone debut as Saints beat Albion Rovers 7-1. Rovers finished the game with only 8 men after having two sent off and another carried off injured. pic.twitter.com/FTAt25tQ3W
— Saints On This Day (@SaintsOTD) October 5, 2021
A 7-1 victory, with their opponents, Albion Rovers, reduced to eight men by the end isn’t an afternoon to be forgotten.
Brown, a Dundonian recommended to Gibson by Paul Sturrock, had his football roots in the amateur game but he scored plenty of goals for Saints before the club bounce-back began with Willie Watters (another man to score on his debut) and Stevie Maskrey in attack.
The hat-trick understandably grabbed the headlines but another new boy, Steve Evans, also got off the mark that day.
Graeme Jones – November 21, 1999
Nicky Clark’s dad, Sandy, spent £100,000 bringing Jones to McDiarmid Park from Wigan Athletic.
He was plagued by knee injuries in his three seasons in Perth and it was a classic football story of what might have been because the powerful number nine, currently on Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United backroom staff, hit the ground running with Saints.
Not only did he score an equaliser against Aberdeen on debut, he followed it up with a winner at Easter Road three days later.
=360. Graeme JONES
13/03/70 – ENG
SPL Debut: 21/11/99 – ST JOHNSTONE 1-1 Aberdeen – started.
Clubs: St Johnstone (99-02)
Apps: 40 (31+9)
Goals: 7 pic.twitter.com/6izWQng8Zp— Scottish Premiership Players (@scotpremplayers) November 13, 2020
Steven Milne – July 30, 2005
Milne’s numbers for Saints probably don’t get talked about as much as they should.
In clocking up over 100 appearances he averaged nearly a goal every second game.
The former Dundee man scored a priceless one at Dens under Derek McInnes and then two the week after to help clinch promotion.
All that on top of the famous cup double at Ibrox.
2011 | Steven Milne leaves St Johnstone. Signed in June 2005, "Savo" scored 54 goals during his time with Saints including a memorable double at Ibrox. pic.twitter.com/cLx5Ag0T5D
— Saints On This Day (@SaintsOTD) January 31, 2021
And his start was one of the most impressive there’s been for a Saints striker.
Milne scored in a 2-0 season-opener against Alloa and then followed it up with three in the next two fixtures.
Stevie May – May 11, 2009
With the 2008-09 First Division title secured, Milne and a few other senior pros were rested for the final day trip to face Airdrie.
There were plenty of youngsters in the squad.
Zander Clark was on the bench, while Steven Doris, Johnny Lindsay and Stephen Reynolds all started.
Reynolds was the Saints academy poster boy, having attracted the attention of scouts on the back of his goalscoring record in development football.
But May was the one who took his opportunity, coming on as an 82nd minute substitute and scoring four minutes later.
Three cups later, he hasn’t had a bad Perth career.
2009 | In the rearranged last game of the season, Stevie May scores on his debut in a 4-0 win over Airdrie Utd. St Johnstone finish the season 10 points clear at the top of Division One. pic.twitter.com/uvQUZl0luI
— Saints On This Day (@SaintsOTD) May 11, 2022
Kenny Deuchar – August 1, 2009
Deuchar was a big hit in a short loan spell with Saints in 2007, scoring eight goals in 14 games, one of those in the Challenge Cup final victory over Dunfermline at Dens Park.
McInnes, previously a team-mate, signed him on a permanent deal in the summer of 2009 and his second debut was a memorable one – grabbing a double in a 5-0 League Cup defeat of Stenhousemuir.
Deuchar ended the season with eight goals to his name.
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