St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson felt the need to sign two proven Premiership forwards at the end of the summer transfer window, with both Nicky Clark and Connor McLennan making an instant impact after arriving at McDiarmid Park.
But his faith in Theo Bair coming good for the Perth club remains intact.
And a top notch performance from the Canadian international in the midweek victory over Hibs behind closed doors was further evidence for the Saints boss that patience will be repaid.
“Theo did really well in the bounce game,” said Davidson. “He was excellent.
“I’ve got a lot of players showing a great attitude – Connor was another one.
“Theo scored and showed me the determination I want to see in players who aren’t starting at the moment.
For those who are interested in closed-doors game scores and goalscorers, Theo Bair, Connor McLennan and Michael O'Halloran got the goals in a 3-2 win v Hibs. Bair very good, I'm told.
— Eric Nicolson (@C_ENicolson) September 23, 2022
“I see the potential he’s got in training every day.
“I see it in bounce games, I’ve seen it in pre-season and there have been bits in the first team games he’s played as well that have been really good.
“Now he needs to move that on.
“When he gets that first goal I think it will make a huge difference – he’ll relax and show everybody what he can do.
“He’s still a young man with bags of potential and I’m hopeful we’ll see the best of him over the next couple of years.”
McGowan the midfielder
Davidson, meanwhile, has liked what he’s seen of Ryan McGowan in central midfield recently.
The Australian international played the second half at Tynecastle in a deep-lying role and started in that position last weekend against Ross County.
I’s unlikely to be the last time Davidson takes the former Hearts man out of defence.
“Ryan’s performances in midfield have been a real bonus for us,” he said.
“We’ve got Cammy MacPherson out and there’s Daniel Phillips and Graham Carey who were missing last weekend, with Murray Davidson only just coming back.
“He did very well against Ross County in the middle of the park.
“He showed how versatile he is.
“He can play that position quite easily.
“It’s one thing doing it in training or in a bounce game but another in the league.
“He reads the game, can cover the ground and he’s very good with the ball. They’re all the attributes you need in that position when we ask him to play there in those type of games.
“That was a big bonus from last Saturday and so was getting Liam Gordon back in.”
Conversation