Kerr strike most iconic Saints goal

Given that hitting the back of the net with any sort of regularity was St Johnstone’s biggest problem of 2021/22 and they only managed 24 in the whole of their Premiership campaign, you might think a goal of the season search wouldn’t throw up many gems. You’d think wrong. Quantity wasn’t Saints’ thing but there were times when quality certainly was.

Courier Sport has looked back at their strikes in three categories – best individual, best team effort and most iconic.

Best individual goal Michael O’Halloran’s opener against Rangers was a thing of beauty but nothing comes close to Callum Hendry’s injurytime volley against Motherwell in a game Saints really had to win.

Jacob Butterfield did what was required by taking a nice first touch and getting the weight right on his diagonal pass to ensure Hendry didn’t need to break stride.

However, this was 95% finish and 5% assist.

We’re not quite in Marco van Basten Euro ’88 territory but there aren’t many strikers who have the technique to let a ball drop over their shoulder and connect perfectly with their “wrong” foot.

Not only was it the best St Johnstone goal of the season, it will be in the conversation for finest goal McDiarmid Park has ever seen.

Best team goal

Chris Kane’s near-post finish in Klagenfurt to put Saints ahead against LASK deserves a mention.

The link-up play between O’Halloran and Glenn Middleton before the latter played a perfect ball for Kane was very impressive.

Mention should also be made of Ali Crawford’s first-minute goal against Hearts in February.

The build-up involving

Tom Sang, Middleton and Melker Hallberg was everything Saints had been lacking for months and the timing of the run and the quality of the shot were top class as well.

But it’s another Crawford strike that is our number one – the second in the League Cup quarter-final victory at Dens Park.

Saints expertly played their way out of trouble at the right side of their own box and then quickly transitioned from defence to attack down the opposite flank.

From there, David Wotherspoon set Callum Booth on his way (oh, how Perth fans long to read that phrase again next season) but the wing-back still had to win a 50-50 tackle with Cammy Kerr to be in a position to cross.

With three men in red and white stripes as options in the penalty box and another on the 18-yard line, Booth got his head up and picked out Crawford, whose

first-time strike was a much higher tariff than he made it look.

Most iconic goal

There have been some incredibly important penalties scored by Saints down the years.

Mark Treanor’s against Airdrie in McDiarmid Park’s greatest game is one (the one at Firhill in the same season had a lot riding on it too) and there will never be a more glorious collective shootout than at Ibrox last season.

But putting a provincial Scottish team into the lead against one of THE most famous club sides in Europe is the definition of a moment in time that can never be taken away from the scorer Jason Kerr or those who celebrated it.

That lead didn’t last long and Saints lost the return leg after drawing in Turkey but Galatasaray 0-1 St Johnstone is a scoreline that saw the Perth club’s name shine very bright.

ON THE SPOT: Jason Kerr made headlines with his penalty against Galatasaray in Europe.