Following the Saints
New supporters clubs
A resurgence in St Johnstone support from neighbouring towns and villages has been welcomed by the Perth club.
In years gone by, buses would flock to the Fair City’s McDiarmid Park from all corners of Perthshire.
And now supporters are pulling together to bring back the noise and the recently set-up Strathearn Saints has become the latest to pitch in.
A St Jo hn s t o n e spokesperson said: “We’re delighted that the new group of supporters from the Strathearn area have formed and are getting organised to follow the team as a recognised supporters club.
“Saints have a long tradition of having great backing from the people of Crieff and the surrounding area and indeed there used to be a supporters’ social club in the town. We wish them every success and look forward to working with them to the benefit of the team.”
Strathearn Saints was founded at the start of this season and began transporting fans from Crieff and the surrounding area to McDiarmid Park.
Since arranging a bus for the Europa League home clash with FK Trakai in June, chairman Ian Windross hasn’t looked back.
He said: “We started running the bus for the European game and we’ve made it a regular bus to all the home games now and some away ones.
“We usually fill a bus of 16, and we were sold out for Saturday’s trip to Dundee.”
The bus, which leaves from the Station Bar in Crieff, costs £ 5 and a club membership which guarantees fans a seat costs £15.
Ian added: “There used to be a bus that ran from Crieff so it’s great to be running one from the area again.”
Meanwhile, Scone Saints Supporters Club is also sending out the rallying call as Tommy Wright’s men continue to perform.
Now in its fourth season, the group, chaired by Bob Reid, runs a 33-seater bus to home matches and is continuing to grow. But new faces are always being welcomed.
Bob said: “St Johnstone don’t charge us anything to park the bus at the door, which is great.
“We had around 15 people at first but it’s really grown. It’s a great way to go to the game and get a pint before kick off.”
The bus also costs £ 5, with kids travelling for free, and leaves from the Kinnear Inn in Scone. The group also travels to away games through the Barossa Street Saints Club.
Strathearn Saints can be contacted on their Facebook and Twitter pages and are running a quiz night fundraiser on October 28 following the Partick Thistle away fixture.
Contact @rob51reid on Twitter for more Scone information.