Stevie May has equalled a post-war St Johnstone goal-scoring record, and his manager is backing him to beat it.
The Scotland under-21 international’s weekend strike against Partick Thistle took his Premiership tally to 18.
And he now has six games left of the league campaign to smash a top-flight record set by Paul Wright back in season 1991/92.
The 21-year-old wasn’t even born when Wright was finding the back of the net for the Perth club.
Manager Tommy Wright admitted that May’s total so far of 18 league goals has surpassed what he expected of his star striker in his first full season at this level after being loaned out to Alloa and Hamilton.
Wright, who extended May’s contract until next summer, added: “I said before the season started Stevie would do well for us but he has surprised me by just how well he has done, playing nearly every game for us.
“He is up there tucked in behind Celtic’s Kris Commons in the scoring charts and that is impressive playing for a club that isn’t exactly renowned for strikers scoring loads of goals.
He added: “It’s great for Stevie to have emulated a club record like that and he can go on and break it. He has had a tremendous year for us and he has been learning and improving different aspects of his game as he has gone through the season.
“Stevie has made a huge contribution with his goals. He has been immense. He has made quite an impact for a young striker in his first season at this level.”
May has picked up where he left off with Alloa (19 in 22 games) and Hamilton where he also broke First Division striking records with 25 goals in 33 appearances.
He has attracted bids from Rotherham, Peterborough and Preston and is likely to be the subject of more attempts to lure him south in the summer.
Wright is hoping there are still plenty of goals left in him before he signs off for the season.
“Stevie has played a lot of football he has played more than 40 games for club and country but we rested him against St Mirren and he came back looking fresh against Thistle. It was good for him and for the team.”
The most prolific Saints striker in the top division of Scottish football was Jimmy Munro with 29 goals in 36 games in season 1926/27.