COME WHAT MAY
Stevie: Boys had wrong info and believed we were already in the top six when I went on
STEVIE MAY revealed how he had to convince his St Johnstone pals they still had it all to do to seal their top-six spot.
The striker came off the bench after an hour and had to tell his team-mates they had got the wrong end of the stick over St Mirren’s clash with Hamilton.
They thought Accies had scored but May quickly convinced them there was still work to be done to pip the Buddies.
The fact they managed it with minutes left summed up a season in which Callum Davidson’s side have confounded early expectations.
Struggling for form in the opening months of the campaign – Saints were in the top six briefly and never at any point after September – the turnaround has been notable.
And May was delighted they had something else to cheer on Saturday after leaving it late to take sixth spot.
Glenn Middleton and May linked up beautifully for the goal just four minutes from time as that, plus Kyle Munro’s late leveller for Accies, opened the door to the top half of the table.
May said: “I knew that St Mirren were winning when I went on – a few of the boys had been thinking at half-time that Hamilton were 1-0 up and I had to tell them it was the other way around.
“After we scored I could see wee things on our bench that maybe something had happened at Hamilton. But we didn’t know for sure out on the pitch.
“Thankfully Hamilton had scored and it worked out for us in the end.
“There were a couple of minutes to wait before we got the shout that it was over and we’d made the top six.
“It’s a great achievement. The odds were stacked against us, especially at half-time when we were drawing and St Mirren were winning.
“We deserve it. The stars have aligned for us a bit and here we are.
“You could possibly say we played our best football earlier in the season when we weren’t picking up results.
“Even at Christmas time we were still near the bottom . Considering where we were, you couldn’t have predicted we’d win a cup and get into the top six.
“It’s maybe got scrappier in some games but we’ve been picking up results, which is the main thing.
“To get top six is brilliant. It’s a young, talented squad that has the potential to get even better. It’s a very good time to be at St Johnstone.”
Middleton, on loan from Rangers since January, netted the goal that mattered and May praised the winger for not letting a miss a few minutes earlier distract him.
The 21-year-old’s pace was a source of trouble for Ross County and even after scoring he could have had a second when he and May combined again.
May added: “Glenn had done so well to get through before that and he snatched at the shot a bit.
“But he didn’t let it bother him and it was a brilliant goal a few minutes later when he turned the defender. It was brilliant for him and for all of us.”
The next challenge for Davidson’s side is to catch Livingston.
David Martindale’s men are four points ahead of them going into the split but Saints look like a team who have the momentum.
May said: “The only way we can go is up now. Everything is a bonus from here on. We’ll not look any further ahead than the next game but we’ll give it a real go and see where we end up.
“We’re playing the bigger teams but we’re all buzzing about the challenge.”
In the last decade the Perth outfit have finished in the top six eight times.
May hailed the influence of Davidson, who has already delivered a League Cup this season, and insisted the style of play has become bolder under the former Scotland international.
He said: “This season we’ve probably played football that has been better than in the past. The squad has changed and so has the way we’ve played.
“To transition the group of players that did so well for the club for many years into this one and keep the form going, keep overachieving, is a credit to everyone here. It’s brilliant.
“This has been a club that has always overachieved and this is one of the biggest overachieving seasons yet.
“To go from where we were to where we are now is amazing.
“We’ve mixed it up at times when we’ve needed to and there have been some big performances in big games. That’s the sign of a really good team.”