Remi Matthews is “already missing” St Johnstone.
And the loan goalkeeper would never rule out a McDiarmid Park return.
Back with Crystal Palace after a successful season-long spell in Scotland, Matthews has got several more years left in him as a professional footballer.
Whether one or more of them will be spent in Perth remains to be seen.
But, whatever happens, the bond established between player and club is a strong one.
“Never say never,” Matthews told Courier Sport.
“I loved my time up there. The players, staff and fans were all great to me.
“I’m already missing it.
“It’s a great feeling when you’re playing well and you’re the number one at a club like that.
“I don’t have anything negative to say about the club or the city and I’m a St Johnstone fan now.”
Other interest
The 29-year-old added: “There were actually a couple of Scottish clubs showing an interest last summer.
“I know Dougie Imrie really well from my time at Hamilton and he was at Livingston when my agent told me they were interested.
“I’m not a big fan of astro so I didn’t really fancy that one.
“And my agent mentioned Dundee United but they ended up going in a different direction.
“It turned out to be a blessing because I loved my time at St Johnstone.
“I left it as long as I could – there were a couple of English clubs I could have gone to – and fortunately St Johnstone came in at just the right time.
“It worked out well for both of us.”
@Remi_matthews was in a good mood this morning 👋
Who do we think tried to put him off with a stray ball? 🤔#SJFC | pic.twitter.com/dscoAZT8sa
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) August 27, 2022
On reflection, Matthews believes the psychological damage sustained by a long battle for survival in the season before he arrived, albeit one Saints emerged from as still a top flight side, was a factor in the way the 2022/23 campaign panned out.
“I obviously knew it had been tough the previous season,” he said.
“People underestimate the effects of a long relegation fight like that one.
“Because we went on such a good run before the World Cup expectations went higher than probably they should have.
“We went on a losing streak – in a tough run of fixtures – and that had an impact on confidence.
“It was maybe a bit similar for me. Because I’d gone a long time without a goalkeeping error that cost us a goal, when I did make one it probably got highlighted more than it should have.
“Kilmarnock was the clear one – it didn’t go through my hands but it was a misjudgement.
“The Aberdeen one was unlucky, I thought. I made the save and it hit my trailing leg.
“I could do that 10 times and it would bounce out every time.
“When you lose games people always look at the defence. That’s just football.
“But in the bigger picture, during that run, we weren’t scoring enough goals. For the majority of the time we were a solid unit at the back.
“When you’re not scoring you have to rely on a clean sheet every week and that puts huge pressure on the back five or back six.”
‘Not a bad word’ about Callum Davidson
Steven MacLean deserves all the praise that came his way when Saints secured their Premiership status with two games to spare.
But Callum Davidson deserves respect as well, according to Matthews.
“After the Livi game was the worst feeling of the season,” he said.
“It wasn’t the manager’s fault. I felt more sorry for him than anybody else.
“He brought most of the players in and did everything he could.
“Callum was great for me and I haven’t got a bad word to say about him.
“It was like Vieira at Palace – sometimes it just needs a change. That’s not anybody’s fault. You can’t put your finger on why it’s gone wrong.
“He can’t get rid of 10 players.
“Callum lost his job unfortunately but Livi was the turning point.”
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