Burden of trying to seal title is nothing compared to fight to stay up and keep folk in job
Gary feels no pressure as Saints made to wait for party
GARY MacKENZIE took a boot in the chest when St Mirren lost at Tannadice last season but it felt more like a punch in the gut.
A year on and the Buddies defender insists losing to Dundee United leaves barely a bruise as the minor dunt has only set up the prospect of a party in Paisley.
Last April United struck a lastminute winner to leave Saints facing the drop to League One.
MacKenzie admitted that was real pressure – not going into Saturday’s clash with Livingston with the chance to claim the title.
He said: “You’re so close, which is credit to how we’ve done this season, but now it’s all about getting over the line.
“We didn’t go to Tannadice for a point, we went to win because that’s how we play and that’s how we’ll keep playing.
“But it’s a strange one. We know any slip from Livi gives us it anyway but we still need to get that point under our own steam.
“It’s an odd situation that brings its own pressure. But it’s a pressure I’d take any day of the week compared to the kind we were under this time last season.
“We went to Tannadice last year and lost with the last kick of the ball. The ref didn’t see one of their boys kung-fu kicking me right in the chest before he scored their first goal.
“We’re so close to winning a league now, the fans are out in huge numbers, things are going great – that’s the kind of pressure you come into football to be under.
“Last season the pressure we were under meant people could have lost their jobs. You didn’t know what lay ahead for the club if we went down.
“But having said that, even on days like that one at Tannadice, I never thought we would go down. I always believed we had enough. There was never any doubt for me we’d stay up.
“I don’t think anyone expected things to go quite as well this season but we knew after the way we’d played against Hibs home and away and at home to United – the teams everyone said were miles better than the rest – we were as good as anyone.
“Plus United had a better team last year than this year and we have a better team this year so that plus the momentum we built up in the last few weeks of last season means it’s not a surprise where we are.”
Saint are on the verge of getting back to the big time after three years in the Championship.
MacKenzie would love to have got the job done in Dundee in front of over 2000 Buddies in the Tannadice Shed.
But at least the defeat has set up the chance to celebrate in Paisley with three of their last four games at home. MacKenzie said: “The fans have been incredible. Even last season when we were so far off survival and it must have been sore to watch, they came out and dragged us through it.
“They gave us that wee extra bit when it mattered. We owe them for that so it’s great they now have something they can celebrate.
“We’re looking forward to walking out in front of them on Saturday and hopefully giving them the result we all want.”
You didn’t know what lay ahead for the club if we had gone down GARY MacKENZIE