Graham Carey knows all about last day pain from the end of his time at Plymouth Argyle.
And now the St Johnstone playmaker wants to find out what it feels like being on the happy side of a dramatic season finale.
“I played in a game for Plymouth a few years ago in League One which was pretty similar to this,” said the Irishman.
“We had to beat Scunthorpe on the final day of the season (in 2019) and hope that Southend didn’t beat Sunderland at home.
“Sunderland had already qualified for the play-offs by that time.
“We won our game 3-2 and I got the winner but they won their game and we went down on goal difference.
“It was tough to take because all we could do was take care of our business and hope for the best.
“Luckily for us this time there’s a play-off so you get a second chance at it, but we want to avoid that if possible.
“We’re only able to control what we can control, so if we play well enough to win on Sunday and it’s still not enough then at least we’ll go into next week with a bit of form.
“If we do what we’ve been doing the last few games, creating chances and can have a bit of a calmer head in front of goal then we can get the result we need.
“Hopefully that’s enough and, after being on the wrong side of it before, things will work out differently this time.”
Out of contract
That match proved to be Carey’s last with Plymouth and it could be the same with Saints this weekend.
“Maybe these games are the last I’ll play here because my contract is up in the summer,” he said.
“Does that inspire you? A bit, especially when you get older because you want to remind people you’re not that old.”
Saints may win and still need to go through a play-off ordeal to stay up but Carey agrees with his manager’s mindset to hold nothing back against Motherwell on Sunday.
“I’m someone who would always want to keep playing,” he said.
“The more games I play the better I do. I don’t like getting rested because you lose the rhythm.
“Some people might need rested but the majority will be able to keep playing, I’m sure of that.
“Hopefully it doesn’t come to that though and Sunday is the last game of our season.”
Familiar faces
Carey has been a big creative focal point in the last two matches.
“We’ve got some players back I blend well with,” he explained. “I played with Nicky (Clark), Cammy (MacPherson) and Stevie (May) last year so I know what they’re all about.
“But it’s having Drey (Wright) behind me that makes a big difference because he’s a great outlet for me.
“His speed and quality in the wide areas is something we have really lacked all season.
“So for me knowing he’s there behind me, ready to overlap helps me because it gives me an outlet there.
“Having players familiar around me, I feel we’re playing a bit more like we used to.
“We’ve gelled more as an 11 in the last few weeks and have certainly created a lot more chances.
“I’ve felt that I’ve been more creative in the last couple of games.
“With the players we have now we can be a bit more unpredictable, we can move the ball and get it forward better.”
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