A loan to League One probably took a bit of selling to Max Kucheriavyi, a St Johnstone player in a hurry.
But the value of swapping Perth for Falkirk in the short-term needs no explaining now.
The Ukrainian under-21 international was one of the star performers for the Bairns in their Scottish Cup quarter-final comeback victory over Raith Rovers on Monday night.
As has been the case with both Kucheriavyi’s starts since he moved down a couple of divisions until the end of the season, there was a member of the Saints coaching staff in the ground to assess his performance.
The young playmaker is getting high pressure, high stakes football under his belt – thriving in his new environment.
And with a semi-final at Hampden next month to look forward to – maybe even a final against Celtic or Rangers after that – it’s already clear that his career development is getting the advancement manager Callum Davidson suggested to him it would.
“It is great for Max to get to a semi-final and with a chance of a final,” said the Saints boss.
“This is a really good level for him with a lot of experienced players around about him.
“I’ve watched his games – so have Liam Craig and Steven MacLean.
“We are really concentrating on him and hopefully, this time next year, we are talking about how well he is doing for St Johnstone.”
Premiership pressure
Davidson’s Saturday focus is on Saints winning at Kilmarnock.
Should they secure a victory in Ayrshire, there will be a 10-point gap to the bottom two places in the league and Premiership survival will be all but guaranteed.
“All these games are big now,” said Davidson. “They’re all huge.
“The quicker that we can win games then the closer we can look to the top six.
“We need to get our wins.
“Hopefully we can start that on Saturday by either playing really well and getting the victory, battling or grinding it out.
“I don’t really bother – as long as we get the three points.”
Kilmarnock’s awful away form followed them from league to cup last Friday when Derek McInnes’s side were defeated by Inverness Caley Thistle.
Facing them on their own artificial pitch is a different proposition altogether, though.
“Kilmarnock’s home form has been really good,” said Davidson. “It’s something we’ve looked at.
“I’ve watched five or six of their home games to see where we can play well against them and where their threats are.
“I know Derek is a top-class manager, he’ll be hurting.
“But it’s back to the league, the pressure of relegation and top six.
“We need to make sure we handle that well.”
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