The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Saints winger aims for treble against Livi to end losing run
Kennedy hoping win over Lions can get Perth men back to winning ways
Matty Kennedy fondly remembers how, when he scored his winner at Livingston in October, St Johnstone were in the middle of an eight-match unbeaten run.
Now he heads back to Almondvale with Saints having gone eight matches without a win – seven losses and a draw.
Indeed, they haven’t come out on top in a game since their other clash against Livi – another 1-0 victory at Mcdiarmid Park on January 23.
Kennedy would love to get the momentum going again by making it a treble.
He said: “We did well at Livingston earlier in the season and were the first team to win there. That helped us go on a decent run. I think we went eight games unbeaten so hopefully we can do something similar now.
“We haven’t been ourselves lately but I think against Hibs and Aberdeen you could see us getting back to our best in spells.
“The bad run is something we need to get out of but the lads are confident we can do that. There is plenty of optimism here. We have five games until the split and they are all winnable so we want to get going again. All we can do is focus on our games and try to win them then we will see what happens.
“There is no point looking at what the other teams are up to because it’s only our performances and results that we can influence.”
A bit like Saints, Kennedy feels his form has been a bit of a mixed bag.
He added: “Personally I have done OK this season but I have been a bit up and down. Missing pre-season hasn’t helped me. I didn’t think it would but it has.
“I felt like I was dying towards the start of the season during some games and then came on to a game.
“But around Christmas my legs blew up and I think that was because I hadn’t got the core fitness work in the summer.
“It’s hard to describe but in the last few games I feel like I’m getting back to my best and hopefully I can kick on and end the season strongly.”
Meanwhile, manager Tommy Wright considers Livi to be one of their rivals for a top-six spot despite the West Lothian side having dropped to ninth spot in the Premiership.
He said: “Livingston’s home record is very good and they’ve had a great season so far.
“They are one of the four teams fighting it out for the top six and will believe they can get there.
“This is a big game for both teams and we want to get out of the run we’re in at the moment.
“Livingston have a lot of quality in their team as well as the work ethic and the twice we have played them it has been 1-0, so that shows how tight it has been.
“Every team outside the top four have had bad runs this season – that is the nature of the league – but I am confident we have the experience and know-how to get through it.
“If we can go on a run between now and the split, which I believe we can do, then we’ll have a good chance of getting into the top six. But it’s going to be very tight so we need to start winning quickly.”