A case was made for the defence as an attacking force as St Johnstone beat Partick Thistle at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.
Both goals came from backline players, with Dave Mackay opening the scoring after just four minutes of the first half and Steven Anderson adding another four into the second period.
The hosts got off to a tremendous start when skipper Mackay shot from the edge of the box after good work down the left by Brian Easton.
The strike took a wicked deflection on its way towards goal and sneaked just inside Thistle keeper Paul Gallacher’s left-hand post.
It was a perfect way for Saints to respond following consecutive defeats from Aberdeen and Hamilton Accies.
It was almost two for the McDiarmid men when Simon Lappin sent in a curling cross, which was met by a powerful Liam Caddis header at the far post and palmed away by Gallacher.
Thistle almost drew level when Stuart Bannigan’s corner found Ryan Stevenson 12 yards from goal.
He was given time to turn before his powerful right-footed shot cannoned back off the crossbar with home goalkeeper Alan Mannus beaten.
Up at the other end, David Wotherspoon drove the ball just wide from 20 yards to finish the half on a high.
Then, with just four minutes of the second period gone, it was 2-0 to Tommy Wright’s team.
Wotherspoon supplied the ammunition with a corner form the left and Anderson fired in a header that flew inside the near post and into Gallacher’s goal.
Lappin then sent a right-footshot just over the bar, while for Thistle a Kris Doolan strike stung the hands of Mannus, who parried the ball before gathering it at the second attempt.
Aside from the goals, the highlight of the match was a terrific bit of defending from Brian Easton, who raced back to get a leg in the way of Partick sub Nathan Ecclestone’s shot after he had rounded home goalie Alan Mannus.
Easton, however, later hobbled off with cramp to join groin injury victim Chris Millar on the sidelines.
That leaves Easton able to face ICT tomorrow but Wright indicated that Millar would miss out.
Saints boss Wright now hopes the momentum from this win will continue into tomorrow night’s trip north to face Inverness Caley Thistle.
“When you have had a couple of defeats it is always nice to bounce back,” he said.
“We emphasised the point to start the game well and I thought we did and got the goal.
“Against Partick at times you have got to be patient as they have quite a lot of possession but I think overall we probably deserved to win.
“The second goal always gives you that cushion and was an important one to get.
“We were on a good run before and if you looked at the four games we had over the Christmas and New Year period – Inverness, Dundee United, Hamilton and Aberdeen – all four teams were above us.
“The expectation level probably went up a bit after we won the first two of those and that is why we were disappointed as you would expect to pick up more than none out of six from the next two.
“But they bounced back and it is important now we try and go on another run.”
Thistle manager Alan Archibald rued the manner of the two goals his side conceded.
“It was bad decision-making,” he said.
“The first goal we had a chance to clear it, we didn’t and then they obviously got the deflection which helped it go in.
“But after those first 10 minutes I thought we were the better team in the first half. Ryan Stevenson was unlucky hitting the bar and that was the difference I think.
“In the second half we started well enough and then switched off at a corner – you can’t do that against a good side like St Johnstone.
“St Johnstone are a hard enough team to play against without giving them a goal head-start.
“I think there is plenty to be optimistic about but we lost goals to a deflection and a set-play.”