this is as big as winning the cup
May says County showdown is right up there with 2014 trophy triumph
LIVINGSTON V ST JOHNSTONE
ALMOST exactly 10 years ago, Stevie may was part of the St Johnstone team that would claim Scottish Cup glory for the first time.
But the 31-year-old striker insists Wednesday’s do-ordie relegation play-off clash with Ross County is as big as that famous Parkhead win over Dundee United in 2014.
The Perth club’s 15-year stay in the top flight is at serious risk now with two games left. They are two points adrift of County in the play-off spot.
But they will have been kicking themselves all the way back to Perth because Saturday’s defeat at relegated Livingston should never have happened. In fact, they should have won in a canter.
They passed up chance after chance even after Adama Sidibeh grabbed an early opener, although home keeper Shamal George was in brilliant form too.
As the game went on, the more nervy Saints looked and Cristain Montano levelled late on.
In injury time Nicky Clark screwed his shot wide with just George to beat then Andrew Shinnie netted a winner with almost the last kick of the ball.
May said: “We’ve been fortunate as a club to be in the top half and in Europe for multiple years in a row.
“You have to take the good with the bad and get the performances required to get us out of it. A lot of players in that dressing room have been in similar positions before. We need togetherness and to fight.
“It’s as important as the Cup Final. In terms of a league game, it won’t come any bigger than this. It would be huge to win.
“We’ve got Motherwell after it so it’s not even as if even if we win we’re safe There’s plenty of football left to play.
“We need to give everything. We need to recover and go to battle again.
“If we can start like we did at Livingston with real intensity and take our chances and cut out our mistakes then we give ourselves a chance.
“It was said we were down a couple of years ago and it’s been said plenty of times in the past and we’ve proved people wrong.”
May had no blame attached to strike partner Clark for that late missed sitter – one of 25 goal attempts Saints pummelled Livingston with.
He added: “He’ll be feeling it but that’s football.
“It happens to defenders, they just make that one mistake or whatever too.
“I’ll never have a go at him for not taking a chance because a big problem of ours this season has not been creating enough chances.
“We probably had doublefigure chances we could have scored from. If we can play like that and tighten up at the back and there’s no mistakes, we just have to have a go on Wednesday against County.”