St Johnstone’s season is gathering momentum after the Perth side made it back to back league wins for the first time this season.
Stevie May was the hero again, with his fourth minute deflected shot enough to defeat Kilmarnock.
Saints are up to seventh in the Premiership table, on the same points as sixth-placed Motherwell.
More importantly, the gap to the bottom is now seven points.
Talking points
A sending off turned the match against Hibs last Friday night and, had it not been for VAR, a red might have defined this contest as well.
Around the hour mark James Brown was given his marching orders by Craig Napier but VAR official, Euan Anderson, correctly spotted that it wasn’t a studs-up tackle on Liam Donnelly and his boot only connected with the top of the Killie man’s foot rather than his ankle.
An away goal being disallowed didn’t hurt the Perth cause either.
But May deserved the spotlight again and the standing ovation he received when he was substituted in stoppage time said everything about his contribution today and during the season as a whole.
Player ratings
Matthews 6, Wright 7, Mitchell 6, Gordon 7, Considine 7, Brown 7, Hallberg 6, McGowan 7, Carey 7 (Wotherspoon 6), Clark 5 (McLennan 5), May 8 (Bair 4).
Saints’ star man
Even if the goal gets taken off him, it was the sort of penalty box selfishness that he didn’t show enough of in previous seasons.
May nearly scored a second on 74 minutes with a back post header that he would have expected to dispatch in this form.
Overall, however, it was another excellent performance.
Manager under the microscope
Bringing Graham Carey straight back into the starting line-up without so much as a substitute appearance was Callum Davidson’s biggest selection decision.
The Irishman did enough to justify the recall, looking the likeliest player in blue and white to open up the Killie defence.
Whether it was by accident or design, Saints didn’t make life comfortable for themselves at times by appearing to have a ‘what we have, we hold’ mindset.
But the end result can’t be argued with.
Man in the middle
Napier was having a pretty uneventful afternoon’s work until he showed Brown a red card in front of the East Stand.
We’re in the age of VAR now, though.
And Napier was asked by the Clydesdale House official, Euan Anderson to take a look at the pitch-side monitor.
Four minutes after the original incident, Brown’s red was down-graded to yellow.
The correct decision but it probably took a bit too long.
There was time for another big call.
And again it went for Saints.
Donnelly bundled the ball home at the back post from a Danny Armstrong corner, only for Napier to chalk it off for a foul he’d spotted in the six yard box.
This time there was no VAR intervention, much to the disgust of Derek McInnes.
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