ACTION MAN MAY PRAISES SAINTS’ VINTAGE DISPLAY
ON a day when Stevie May rolled back the years, St Johnstone also looked like their old selves again as they ground out a fine victory. The 29-year-old striker was singled out for special praise by manager Callum Davidson after scoring the opening goal, assisting the second for Melker Hallberg, hitting the crossbar and clearing a goalbound Steven Fletcher header off the line. May’s man-of-the-match display against Dundee United ensured that eighth-placed Saints have earned seven points from their last three games ahead of facing Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Wednesday. ‘It felt like a St Johnstone performance of old,’ smiled May. ‘I’m not going to lie, we were a bit shaky over those closing final ten minutes. ‘Dundee United had a couple of chances but we got over the line, which is something we haven’t done enough of in the last year. ‘But we could also have scored more goals ourselves and the win keeps the run going. It’s the sort of run we’ve not been able to put together in these past 12 or 16 months. ‘Now we’ve got to build on it in the games coming up.’ One of the heroes of the Premiership play-off final win against Inverness last season which kept Saints in the top flight, May hopes a Perth side who are currently eight points clear of rock-bottom United can motor clear of danger early this season. ‘The past year was tough for everyone but we managed to get through it in the end,’ he said. ‘This season, it’s about trying to put together wins and trying to get away from the bottom early so that we can relax a bit more. ‘In the last few years, we’ve been slow starters, sometimes not getting going until Christmas. But we’ve got to build on this good start. ‘There is a positivity about St Johnstone at the moment and we want to keep that gap between us and the bottom of the table.’