The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Saints in ‘big step’ to top-six finish
Goal in win over Dundee caps memorable week for Saints’ Paul Paton
It would be fair to say last week was a memorable one for Paul Paton.
He received another international call-up from Northern Ireland, and then capped it all off on Saturday by heading home for his first goal for St Johnstone to help secure bragging rights over Tayside rivals Dundee and all but assure another top-six finish for the Perth side.
However, the 29-year-old midfielder was more than happy to put personal achievements to one side, and instead dedicated the win to the Saints supporters who have had to endure some uncharacteristically poor performances and results at McDiarmid this season.
Paton said: “I had a bit of a nosebleed for my goal. It’s not like me making that sort of run into the box, but I could see it happening in front of me.
“I had to take off. I had to calm myself down because when I score goals I tend to do stupid things. I don’t get many.
“My last goal was for United against Ross County (in February, last year). I think I scored twice in two weeks.
“I haven’t scored one for a while and I enjoyed it.
“It really doesn’t bother me who I score against. The only aim before the game was three points to get closer to sealing a top-six place. “We took a big step with this win. “But we are only looking towards Motherwell next week and taking three points.
“If that takes us closer to Hearts or above them, so be it.”
Paton added: “Our first focus at the start of the season was to avoid relegation, then look to top six.
“There’s still work to be done because I know teams like Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle are pushing hard.
“That was for the fans. We said that before the game. It has been a bit grim here in some recent games. We have kind of faltered. It was good we showed up.
“I got a call-up for the Northern Ireland squad to play Norway so it has been a good week for me.
“I got my fourth cap the last time we were away.
“I was out for a long time last season with a knee injury and I am proud of myself to be back at a level where I can be in squads. It takes a long time to do your rehab.
“It’s the best squad since I have been growing up.
“I can pitch myself as a goal-scoring midfielder now. Steven Davis better watch himself!”
Paton’s goal came after Joe Shaughnessy hit a long diagonal from the back to Graham Cummins on the left of the Dundee box.
The striker nodded the ball back into the danger area for Paton to head home past Scott Bain.
A dream start for the home side got even better in the 19th minute when Steven MacLean laid the ball off to Blair Alston, and he rifled a shot low to Bain’s left from 20 yards and into the net.
Saints were well worth their lead at the break. Dundee had barely threatened, with Zander Clark in the home goal not having to make a save.
Dundee toiled away in the second half trying to get back into the game, but Saints easily soaked up their attempted attacks and were worthy winners.
Dundee skipper Darren O’Dea said St Johnstone had “sussed out” and negated his side’s high-press game plan.
The defender said: “We have worked on pressing teams and trying to win the ball up the pitch, but to be honest they eliminated that by just going back to front.
“I am saying that as a compliment to them. They obviously sussed out that we were going to press high up the pitch, and we have let one ball take out five or six of our players in one go.
“But we were second best all over the pitch. We didn’t win enough first balls, we didn’t win enough second balls. The two goals are second balls but it comes down to loads of things and, as a team, we didn’t perform.
“I can understand why the manager is very frustrated.”
O’Dea added: “We are set up tactically perfectly every time. It is not down to tactics or systems or who you are playing, it is about the fight and the know-how.
“You are supposed to sense that you are coming to St Johnstone and you are fighting for a top-six place.
“They have had a few bad results here but they weren’t going to go down without a fight. We got rolled over and that’s the toughest thing to take.”