Saint strikes back:

MacLean hits out at Sportscene over goal celebration.

Steven MacLean has expressed his incredulity that Sportscene decided to highlight his goal celebration in Saturday’s defeat to Ross County.

And the St Johnstone striker is confident that there won’t be an SFA charge on the back of it, because the target of his Main Stand gesture was his dad!

McDiarmid Park regulars will know that MacLean has looked for his father on plenty of occasions after he has found the back of the net over the years, which just adds to his astonishment that the BBC team decided to make a big deal about it on their Sunday night programme.

“I was in bed watching the highlights on catch-up, bracing myself to see just how bad our performance had been,” the experienced frontman said.

“I was about to fast forward when they started talking about my goal celebration,” said MacLean.

“I wondered what it was all about. I couldn’t believe they were talking about my celebration and wondering what it was all about. A quick phone call and I’d have put them right.

“They can’t have seen any of my goals recently because it’s not the first time I’ve celebrated that way. I have been doing it for long enough.

“I have a good relationship with our fans so there’s no way I was having a pop at them. “It’s all down to my dad, Gus. “He had been winding me up again on the trip to Perth, telling me I had to get into the box more.

“He’s my biggest critic and I’ve singled him out in the past when I have scored, especially after a bit of a drought. He sits right in line with where I was looking, in that main stand.

“I was running back after the goal and subconsciously I’ve looked him out again. You’re not thinking straight after scoring. Even my old man thinks it was funny.

“After the game dad said ‘I see you gave me the usual celebration!’ I told him that’s what he could expect when he spends an hour and a half winding me up in the car. I thought no more about it until Sportscene.

“To be fair, there are times when dad does have to have a wee bite at me, especially if I have gone a few games without a goal. But I have been getting a few so far this season so he shouldn’t be complaining.

“I have no idea where the lads on Sportscene were coming from. It is ridiculous to talk about the possibility of action being taken against me. That would be a nonsense.”

MacLean certainly thinks that there is no comparison to be made between his celebration and James McFadden’s gesture to Hamilton fans that got him a retrospective ban when he was at Saints.

“They brought up the James McFadden incident,” MacLean said.

“I still think Faddy was unlucky to land that two-game ban but he aimed his gesture up at the Hamilton fans and he obviously had a bit of history as a Motherwell player.

“If I had been aiming a gesture at Ross County fans I could have been in bother. I know I’m not the brightest but I wouldn’t be winding up fans after scoring. And their supporters were miles away.

“I’m certainly not expecting a phone call from the compliance officer over this.

“It was a really well worked goal and I was pleased with the finish. It brought it back to 3-2 so we were in with a shout again.

“Look, I have nothing against the lads on Sportscene and you’re expecting them to talk about the game, formations, the tactics and, fair enough, the mistakes we made that cost us our goals.

“Maybe they should be focusing more on those sort of things than something as trivial as me marking my dad’s card after a goal.”

Picture: SNS. Steven MacLean was astonished by the Sportscene coverage.