The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Maclean keeps vow as Saints stay up
Steven Maclean promised St Johnstone supporters their club would be in the Premiership next season.
And the interim manager and his players backed up the bravado with a victory that got the job done with two games to spare.
Kilmarnock boss Derek Mcinnes didn’t take too kindly to the Perth pre-match declaration.
But it was a sign of Maclean’s confidence in his squad.
“The only 45 minutes I’ve been disappointed with was the second half against Motherwell,” he said after Saints’ 1-0 Rugby Park win.
“In every other game, they’ve given me everything. I was confident and I challenged the players before the game.
“I asked them where they wanted to be in eight days’ time – in the playoff or safe?
“I think people thought I was maybe arrogant but I was just confident and I wanted to give the players confidence.
“I love being in a pressure situation. I don’t know if it made Kilmarnock nervous, I hope so. I enjoyed the pressure games as a player.
“You have to embrace it and go and play.”
Maclean finished off the survival mission but he made a point of stressing the work his predecessor had put in before he left Mcdiarmid Park.
“I’m delighted for everyone at the club,” he said. “The chairman, his dad, the supporters, the players and even Callum. He was the first to text after the game. He has to get a special mention.
“Callum has done so much for this club, winning a cup double and rebuilding. Before every game he texts me.”
Maclean made a huge selection call, giving Cammy Ballantyne his first league start, with Dan Phillips ruled out through injury.
“He was great in training all week,” he said. “I toyed with using him last week but just didn’t do it.
“This week I put him in and he was fantastic.
“I told him on Friday he was playing. I don’t think he expected it. He showed tremendous energy levels and good quality.
“They’re all here to play football and he’s a fit boy. I thought he might get tired because of nervous energy but he kept going.”
Maclean has made a convincing case to be made permanent manager.
But his sole focus is ending the season with a bang by beating Ross County and then Livingston.
“What will be will be,” he said. “We’re safe but we want to finish on a high. The last few weeks have been stressful but you have to enjoy it.
“I haven’t thought about the job, I just wanted to help win games of football.
“I’ll speak to the chairman and see where he wants to go. I saw him after the game and he congratulated us. He said he would sleep well.
“He has done a lot for the club, him and his dad.
“He put his faith in me and I thank him for that.
“The club is up for sale and we don’t know what’s happening.”
The first chance of the match fell to the visitors after Drey Wright burst clear of the Killie offside trap before unleashing an effort that stung the palms of Sam Walker.
St Johnstone opened the scoring when Liam Gordon headed home Graham Carey’s corner at the back post.
Kilmarnock were struggling to trouble the Saints defence, though they came agonisingly close to levelling just after the half-hour mark. Luke Chambers’ angled shot struck the post and then David Watson somehow failed to net the rebound.
Liam Donnelly’s low drive drifted inches wide in the final minutes of the first half, before Mcinnes’ men were dealt a huge blow.
A reckless lunge by Watson on Ballantyne left referee John Beaton with little choice but to brandish a red card to the youngster – leaving Killie a goal down and a man down at the break.
The home side had Walker to thank in the opening minutes of the second half when he brilliantly kept out Carey’s powerful drive.
Much to the frustration of the home supporters, their side continued to offer little in the way of an attacking threat, and it took until the 63rd minute for Remi Matthews in the visitors’ goal to be forced into a save.
Rory Mckenzie did well to power forward and produce a low drive that the Saints stopper gathered with relative ease.
The Kilmarnock fans vented their fury at their opponents’ continued time-wasting tactics and Matthews was booked with 18 minutes remaining for stalling over collecting the ball for a goal-kick.
Wright’s fizzing strike was wonderfully tipped over by Walker and the home goalkeeper was at his best again shortly afterwards when he palmed away Ballantyne’s goalbound effort.
Jordan Jones could only find the side-netting as the Rugby Park side desperately searched for a leveller, while at the other end Zak Rudden passed up a golden opportunity in added-time when he fired over.