For one reason or another all the St Johnstone players taking the field against Inverness Caledonian Thistle tonight and in the club’s remaining SPL fixtures will have personal incentives, according to defender Alan Maybury.
From his own point of view, it is proving he is worth a new deal at McDiarmid Park.
The Irishman has put the frustration at being left out of the starting line-up at Hampden last weekend behind him and is now set on showing manager Derek McInnes he is one of the players he can count on when he rebuilds his squad in the summer.
Maybury said, “Everybody’s got something to play for. It could be that you’re looking to win a new deal here, somewhere else or just to stay in the team. If you start winding down too early you probably won’t be here next season.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’d have liked to play more at certain times in the season but I understand the reasons that I didn’t. I’ve liked being back in Scotland.
“I’ve got on well with the management and the lads and I like what they’re trying to do here to progress the club. We’ll see what happens in the summer but one thing’s for sure, if I start slacking now I definitely won’t be here.”
The motivation for the team as a whole is also clear to Maybury.
He said, “It’s always the same at this time of year. You’re either fighting for things or you’re trying to make sure you finish the season on a positive note.
“I’ve found over my career that if you let things slip at the end of a season it tends to carry on into the new one. There’s nothing conscious about it, but when you come back for pre-season everything’s not quite where it should be and the next thing you know, you’re starting the next season with a couple of defeats.
“Making sure that doesn’t happen is our focus now.”
The former Hearts man, who played six games in a row before being benched for the big one against Motherwell, admitted the semi-final experience has been a painful one for all concerned.Bench sorrow”For me it was disappointing not to start the semi-final,” Maybury said. “I felt I’d done well in the games running up to the match but I knew the manager was looking to bring a couple of players back in if they were fit and available.
“I know his reasons and there was no issue. It was obviously disappointing for myself to be left out but it was even more disappointing for the club that we lost.”
Tonight’s opponents have had a similar first season SPL experience that Saints had the year before: comfortably safe from relegation but falling just short of the top six.
Maybury said, “Inverness have maybe surprised a few people. We’ve played well against them apart from when we let ourselves down in our last match at their place.
“We know this will be tough because, like us, they’ll be wanting to finish as high as they can.”
Saints will be without suspended pair Michael Duberry and Steven Anderson, while Graham Gartland is also a doubt.
McInnes said, “We have to show an appetite and the right approach in our remaining games. We might be trying one or two things but we aren’t taking the foot off the gas.
“We want results as well as performances. I have huge admiration for what Inverness they have done this season.
“I love the natural honesty and enthusiasm that comes from Terry Butcher and his players.”
Butcher will be without the suspended Ross Tokely and Stuart Duff, while Jonny Hayes will not play again this season after undergoing ankle surgery.