Murray Davidson has firmly set his sights on helping St Johnstone take the title of the “best of the rest” in the SPL this season.
The Perth side’s prize asset is almost certain to be heading for the McDiarmid Park exit this summer after turning down the club’s offer of a contract extension.
A host of teams down south as well as Rangers are believed to be keen to snap up the highly-rated 24-year-old midfield powerhouse.
Rowan Vine may have been the Saints hero on Saturday, scoring the only goal of the game to gain revenge on St Mirren for their recent Scottish Cup defeat.
However, it was Davidson, who only played after passing a late fitness test, who produced the man-of-the-match performance and he insists he still has a lot of unfinished business with the club.
Still clutching a bottle of champagne from the match sponsors, he said: “Recently it has been a bit stop-start for me because of injury.
“So I was desperate to get back involved against St Mirren. I couldn’t do full training on Friday so it was touch and go. But thankfully, I was able to play and we are absolutely delighted with the points.
“We said before the game that this was one of the biggest matches of the season for us. It is so tight in the league and it was a big week for us.
“There was never going to be much in the game but we are glad to sneak a 1-0 and it was probably deserved.
“It may sound silly but sometimes it is better winning 1-0 than three or four nil. It is a very happy dressing-room at the moment.
“Europe has to be the target for us. You have to aim high but it is so tight there are probably six or seven teams thinking the same thing.”
When asked if he thought Saints could even finish the season in second place behind runaway leaders Celtic, he said: “Inverness scored late on against Hearts but before they did we were actually sitting in second place in the table.
“We could be sitting in second if they hadn’t scored late so why not?
“We are in the final stage of the season and a couple of wins can put you in a strong position but a couple of defeats can see you drop a few places.
“I think the team that can now go on a wee run and be consistent will probably nick it. At the moment it looks like this will be my last season with the club so it would be a great way to end things.
“It would have been good to have gone on a wee cup run but we are out of that now. So all of our focus is on the league and hopefully the team, and me personally, can end the season on a high.
“But as I said, we have marked this as a big week, we have got a good start and we go again on Wednesday against Dundee. Unfortunately, I am suspended but it is a massive game for the club.”
Davidson’s stand-out performance was a rare highlight in a game that will not linger long in the memory.
The first half was a niggly war of attrition with the tone set early on when Vine (mistimed tackle) and Paddy Cregg (jersey pull) were both booked before four minutes had elapsed.
There was little inspiration on show although St Mirren’s Esmael Goncalves, who was told by his manager DannyLennon during the week to lose a few pounds as well as his trademark bling, did try his best to enliven proceedings.
The home side’s first effort on goal came in the 16th minute following a foul on Mehdi Abeid. Vine stepped up to take the free-kick but his shot from 20 yards flew straight into Craig Samson’s arms.
Four minutes later, it was Alan Mannus’s turn to look lively in the home goal when he dived to his right to turn away a long-range effort from St Mirren’s on-loan Newcastle player Conor Newton.
Mannus was called into action again shortly after when St Mirren launched a long ball from the back with the keeper racing out of his box in an attempt to head clear. The ball fell to Stephen Thompson but he lofted his shot over from 22 yards.
Then on the half-hour mark, Saints best chance of the half fell to Liam Craig after a well-worked one-two with Vine but the midfielder’s angled drive flew inches past Samson’s far post.
Just before referee Steve McLean put everyone out of their misery by blowing for half-time, his namesake Saints striker was booked for diving in the St Mirren penalty area which just about summed up a dismal first 45.
Five minutes after the restart, St Mirren carved out a superb chance when Thompson threaded a pass through to the onrushing Goncalves but the Portuguese hit his shot straight at Mannus with the goal at his mercy.
And St Mirren were left to bitterly rue that miss in the 52nd minute.
Abeid fired a corner in from the left which caused chaos in the St Mirren defence. Davidson had the first attempt to bundle the ball across the line but it was blocked and fell into the path of Vine who gleefully stabbed home from one yard.
The striker then em-“barked” on a bizarre celebration that involved crawling along the turf on all fours in tribute to a family pet mastiff that had died last week.
St Johnstone came mighty close to doubling their advantage on the hour mark when Davidson dug out a cross for Frazer Wright with the big centre-half’s header clipping off the top of the crossbar.
Saints were in the ascendancy and substitute Gregory Tade had their next chance when he latched onto a sweeping cross-field pass from Vine but the French striker scuffed his shot and the opportunity was lost.
As the game entered the closing stages, Saints came agonisingly close to extending their lead again with a Tade header cannoning off the bar.
The same player then had a goal-bound shot blocked on the line and the Frenchman’s frustration continued in extra time when he hit the post with another strike.
Vine’s counter saw him move on to seven for the season to overtake Davidson in the goal-scoring stakes. However, the midfielder insists he does not care who scores as long as St Johnstone keep winning.
He said: “Obviously, you want to score goals and I was looking to bundle the ball in before Rowan netted. But I would take that every week if we were to win 1-0 and somebody else scores.
“It is always a bonus to get a goal but you want to win the game first and foremost.”
Perth boss Steve Lomas was his usual forthright self as he praised his team and then had a pop at the fixture schedulers.
He said: “All credit to the boys as we have this ridiculous schedule of six games in 23 days and then three weeks off.
“I don’t know who is doing the fixture list, it must be Stevie Wonder.”