SHOCKED TO THE SCORE
Two-goal Conway says Saints’ revival was a case of when not if
CRAIG CONWAY is adamant St Johnstone’s transformation from basement strugglers to free-scoring box-office stars was only a matter of time.
After four games without a league goal, the McDiarmid Park midfielder believes they’re finally practising what he’s been preaching as the floodgates opened on the road against Hamilton.
St Johnstone found the back of the net nine times in two Betfred Cup games before their trip to Lanarkshire and carried that clinical edge into a clash with Accies where the only losers were the absent fans.
Conway’s creative influence and scoring threat was underpinned with a double plus two assists.
And he insists Saints have become thrill-a-minute table climbers after weeks of frustration firing blanks.
The 35-year-old, whose side rose to ninth, said: “We were really struggling to score but now we’ve scored 12 in our last two games.
“It shows what we’ve been saying all along – that we’ve got goals in the squad.
“We’ve thoroughly deserved this turn of fortune and hopefully we can build on it now.
“The Cup came at the right time for us. We wanted to score goals, win games and get a bit of confidence.
“We weren’t playing Premiership opposition but you still have to put a performance in and you can only beat what’s put in front of you.
“We were professional and went about things the right way – then we took that into the Hamilton game.
“I’ve spoken a few times and sounded like a broken record by telling you that we’ve been playing well. But I’m more than confident the position we’re in is a false one.
“We should be higher already and we’ll be looking to make sure we keep moving up.
“With the players we have I believe we can be up in the top six but we’ll have to keep showing that, as we did on Saturday.”
From the moment Callum Davidson’s side stretched their legs with Stevie May’s first-minute opener, all signs pointed to a comfortable win as the striker added to David
Wotherspoon’s second with a third after only 33 minutes.
Hamilton’s reaction was for Ronan Hughes and Marios Ogkmpoe goals to haul them back into the contest before the break.
Conway’s brilliant double after the restart killed off an inspired fightback and lifted Saints off the foot of the table despite another Hughes reply.
And the winger insists what started as a stroll in the park became a thriller with unexpected anxiety.
Conway said: “We must be exciting to watch. When we went 3-0 up it wasn’t as if we were thinking, ‘We can just see this out from here’.
“But we don’t make it easy for ourselves. For 40 minutes or so we were excellent and well on top. But instead, we had to go in at half-time only 3-2 up.
“Going from 3-0 to 3-2 makes you look at things differently in the break.
“We made sure we still looked upon it as a positive because we couldn’t forget we were winning.
“Once we got over that initial disappointment of conceding two goals we knew we had something to hang on to and build on in the second half. We knew we would create more chances.”
Conway has provided the creative spark for Saints since arriving in the summer and his weekend display was capped with a superb free-kick that shoved the points out of Hamilton’s reach. But the wideman admits he
should have helped himself to a hat-trick after opening his account for the season. He added: “I’m obviously delighted to score a couple from a personal point of view but the most important thing was getting the win. “I’ve been well overdue a goal. It’s always the same – once you get one then things open up for you. “I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t get a hat-trick. I probably should have. Scott Tanser’s put it over and I should have got a better connection on it. I’ll enjoy watching the free-kick back on television.
“I’d scored so I was confident. As soon as I saw where the free-kick was I thought, ‘I’m having it’.
“I knew where I wanted to put it and I felt as if the keeper was showing me a wee bit too much of the goal on that side. When you catch them sweet, you know they’re going in.
“You try a lot of them and they don’t come off but when they go in the top corner it’s a brilliant feeling.”