TALKING ST MIRREN Suttonwants toreprisehis starringrole in title sequel

JOHN SUTTON wants to be a key protagonist rather than a bit-part player in Saints’ charge for promotion after clinching a significant win at Dumbarton.

The star of the 2006 title triumph in his first spell, Sutton has barely featured in the last two months - getting just an hour of Championship action.

But he was ready to deliver when called upon by Jack Ross as he bulleted a match-winning header that means the Buddies are three points clear after the first quarter of the campaign.

The 33-year-old striker said: “If you’re not in the team you just have to get your head down and still believe in your ability.

“If I can be of use as I was on Saturday then that’s great but the main thing is you’re helping your team.

“There is one aim in the squad and that’s to get promoted so it’s just a case of getting the heads down and hopefully we can be successful.

“I’ve been on the bench a lot lately so hopefully scoring on Saturday will give the manager something to think about.

“You just have to bide your time. We’ve got a good squad of players here and it doesn’t really matter who’s in the team because we all just want to stay top of the league and win promotion.

“To come on and score and give the team a bit of breathing space was great.

“And then when we discovered that we had a bit a cushion as a consequence of results elsewhere it made it a great day.

“We have a good team shape and things are going well but we can’t take our foot off the gas.

“So many games in this division are six-pointers. We have a tiny cushion right now but if you lose a couple of games you could be down to fifth. That’s how hard it is.”

Saints were ahead in 36 minutes when Gavin Reilly headed home Adam Eckersley’s cross from the left.

But Dumbarton had a real go and missed some big chances through Christian Nade and Tom Walsh, before Sutton’s header clinched the win.

He said modestly: “The delivery was very good for my goal and that’s what makes it. There is a bit of luck involved because you try to lose your man and arrive in the air at the same time as the ball.”

AND the front man believes Saints current crop are just as good as the stars of eleven years ago.

He added: “There were slightly different characters in that team and we played a different way so it’s difficult to compare.

“But there is a lot of quality in this team and a lot of goalscoring options. It’s all about sustaining things now and hopefully we can.”