The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
No Sutton sentiment for Motherwell clash
Saints: Sutton hoping Fir Park men have another day to forget at McDiarmid
John Sutton doesn’t look back on the last St Johnstone v Motherwell match at McDiarmid Park with any great affection.
Both sides were struggling for form going into the October clash, and found themselves in an unfamiliar part of the Premiership table.
Saints emerged from the encounter narrow winners and never looked back as they went on to another top-six finish, while Stuart McCall resigned on the back of it and Sutton’s Steelmen ended up in the play-offs.
When the two teams meet again tomorrow it goes without saying that the experienced frontman is hoping for a more memorable experience.
“Last year I remember playing against St Johnstone in a crunch game,” he recalled.
“We played really well and went ahead, but Michael O’Halloran scored two goals to get the win and Stuart McCall resigned soon after.
“Stuart was always good at deflecting pressure from the players so we weren’t feeling it going into that game.
“So it was strange when he announced he was leaving after it.
“We thought we had been unlucky and were ready to kick on.
“He felt he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to carry on. That was unfortunate but he will be regarded as one of Motherwell’s greatest ever managers because of his record there.
“Stuart was a fierce competitor but he wanted us training and playing with a smile on or faces. So personally I didn’t feel it was the right time for him to go, but he thought it was the right time.”
Sutton added: “I have plenty of friends at Fir Park and I had quite a successful time there on the whole.
“It wasn’t a good season but it was brilliant at the end of the season, beating Rangers in the play-offs. It was great to leave on a high note and with a goal.
“It was important to keep Motherwell in the top division after being there for something like 30 years.
“But I hope we beat them this weekend – there’s no room for sentiment.
“Our performances have been OK but we feel we should have more points on the board. “They might feel the same. “I am desperate for us to win. “Motherwell can go on a run after that.”
The competition for starting places up front is fierce at Saints this season, and scoring goals hasn’t been a problem, with Sutton, Graham Cummins and Steven MacLean all chipping in.
The Englishman said: “We can take heart from the strikers getting goals early on and our best player so far, Mikey O’Halloran, will get goals as well.
“Ironically, I was being asked about Saints not scoring many goals when I came in, so it is strange we have conceded too many.
“But we aren’t far away from getting our act together.”
I didn’t feel it was the right time for him to go. JOHN SUTTON