St Johnstone boss, Simo Valakari, will use the Dundee fans’ McDiarmid Park pitch invasion as motivation for next season.
The Perth head coach expressed his disappointment that the travelling supporters charging on to the playing surface after their side secured their top-flight status with a 2-0 victory denied him the opportunity to thank his own fans for their backing over the course of a relegation campaign.
But he has vowed that the prospect of a celebration on home turf this time next year will drive him on to bring Saints back to the Premiership at the first attempt.
“That was the one disappointing thing,” said Valakari. “That we could not say ‘thank you’ to our fans.
“From the first day I came here I said we needed to do this together.
“The fans have been there for us every game, pushing us, supporting us, feeling the frustration and pain.
“I’ll put it this way.
“It’s my job, our job, to make sure that it is our fans who are running on the field at the end of next season.”
Deserved to go down
Reflecting on the final game and final defeat of a wretched season, Valakari said: “We started very well with big energy and intensity, creating chances.
“But we let the opponent back into the game.
“Again, we stopped doing the things we are good at.
“We haven’t been good enough to win enough matches to stay in this league.
“A lot of things happened, like injuries, but we needed to be better.
“The season is over and the players staying need to be ready for the start of pre-season in four weeks.
“Our next competitive game is in only eight weeks.
“Our winning culture needs to start in the League Cup – a team that is hard to beat, creating chances. An ugly team.
“There will be no hiding.
“This is our chance to bounce straight back.
“I’ve told our players that they could very easily play the rest of their careers in the Championship if they don’t come back up and establish themselves as a Premiership players.”
Monday meetings
Valakari will speak to his squad individually on Monday regarding new contracts in some cases and parting company in others.
“The decisions are not tough,” he said.
“We have been long enough as a team to know what we have to do.
“I will ‘thanks’ to some players for their efforts.
“Those staying will need to show full commitment.
“If they think they will find better than what they have here, I am more than happy to let them go.
“I will take them in my car and wish them all the best.”
Although Valakari’s team selection would have been different if escaping relegation was still possible, Ross County, who needed Dundee to lose to avoid the play-offs, couldn’t complain about the effort Saints put into the start of this game.
They were the better of the two teams in the early stages and Makenzie Kirk came close to opening the scoring on six minutes with a near-post shot that flew just over the crossbar.
There would have been plenty of nervous Dundee fans inside McDiarmid Park in the first 15 minutes, but their team grew into the contest and took the lead just before the half-hour mark.
Lyall Cameron has contributed nearly as much to keeping his hometown team in the top-flight as fellow Dundonian, Simon Murray.
He beat Ross Sinclair with a low shot into the far corner.
Scott Tiffoney slotted a shot under Sinclair and into the net at the start of the second half, but the Dundee forward had strayed offside and the goal was disallowed.
Arsenal-bound 16-year-old, Callan Hamill, came on late in the game and came closest to an equaliser with a low 20-yard shot but Cameron had the final word with a 96th minute penalty.
“He would not be linked to Arsenal if he didn’t have something,” said Valakari.
“It was no-brainer to put him on.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t use him earlier because he was in school!
“He showed what he has.
“He had two shots and was creating moments.
“He was fearless
“The last words I said to him were: ‘Go and enjoy this’. He said: ‘I’ll go and score’.
“That’s the attitude we need.”
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