NEW SIGNING CAN SPARK A REVIVAL Boss Davidson eyes end to goal drought
Defender Liam Gordon hopes a new arrival can provide St Johnstone with an additional spark in front of goal.
That arrival, still to be announced when the PA went to press, was expected to be Israeli striker Guy Melamed on a one-year deal. Paperwork was being completed yesterday afternoon.
Manager Callum Davidson confirmed on Sunday that the 27-year-old had jetted into Scotland after leaving Israeli Premier League side Maccabi Netanya. The Perth boss said he had looked for “someone who can bring a spark to the team” when discussing Melamed over the weekend.
Saints have netted only four goals in their opening 10 Scottish Premiership games.
And centre-half Gordon, speaking after the harsh 2-0 defeat against Celtic, said: “The boys had heard a few rumours but our focus was totally on the Celtic game.
“If there is a new striker coming in, hopefully he can offer us something a bit different.
“It’s not as if the forwards here have been playing badly, it’s just a case of us not scoring as a team.
“If we get a little bit of a spark from a new signing that starts the goals coming that will be great.”
Celtic forwards Leigh Griffiths and Patryk Klimala struck in the final minutes on Sunday to sink Saints.
It would be fair to say that the battling men from Perth deserved something from the game.
“It’s another kick in the guts,” admitted Gordon.
“The boys were gutted and it was really hard to take but we can’t dwell on it.
“The performances have been good – I’m sick of saying it and I’m sure the fans are sick of hearing it but it’s true.
“We know we need to start taking our chances and on the defensive side of things, see games like that out.
“Ultimately, late goals are one of the things killing us and it’s something we need to address.
“You need to take your chances against anyone in this league but even more so against Celtic.
“Craig [Conway] probably hit the ball too well if anything and it has cannoned off the post. I’ve never heard a noise like that off the post in all my time here.
“It was a good passage of play for us and has come back to haunt us.”
The result drops Saints to the bottom of the table on goal difference.
But attention now turns to Wednesday evening’s opening Betfred Cup group game against Kelty Hearts at New Central Park.
Gordon said: “I know that we’re not getting the results but the positivity is still there in the dressing room.
“There’s character and we just
need to dig in.
“If the performances were bad I’d be worried – very worried. But that’s not the case.
“I’m sure the quality and personality in our squad, even though it’s not the biggest, will bring us through this tough time.
“Hopefully we’ll get good results in the cup that will help us kick on in the league.
“The teams we’re going to come up against will be good sides and we won’t disrespect them but we’re aiming to get a few goals that will get us back in the habit.”
Kick-off on Wednesday night is 7.45pm and, as has been the case all season, the fixture will be played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.