Keeper’s solid start and May masterclass

The stakes weren’t high for St Johnstone in Dingwall on Wednesday night – certainly not compared with their opponents.

But the 3-3 draw threw up plenty of talking points, nonetheless.

Anybody thinking the Ross County match would be some sort of next season experiment doesn’t really know Saints’ interim manager.

Steven Maclean picked all the same outfield players who won at Kilmarnock for a reason – he was demanding a similar level of performance to the one that secured the club’s Premiership status a few days earlier.

That the visitors looked more like a team fighting for their lives in the first half than the hosts spoke to his expectations being delivered.

A drop in intensity after County got a fortunate penalty lifeline, though, didn’t sit well with Maclean. The second goal, in particular, would have made him wince.

Maclean was measured when he delivered his post-match message to the media but I would imagine he was less measured in the dressing room.

He had that “not on my watch” look in his eyes.

Getting an opportunity to set a “standards” mantra in tablets of stone will be no bad thing in the long run.

● Three goals conceded to Ross County doesn’t scream “great debut” for a goalkeeper but Ross Sinclair should be satisfied with his evening’s work.

He was beaten by a clinical penalty, a fortunate ricochet for Jordan White and a sweetly struck long-range shot through a crowded penalty box.

No blame was coming the 22-year-old’s way and rightly so.

He carried the intangible “presence” needed for a Premiership goalie, made sensible decisions about when to come off his line and when not to, and made two very good saves to deny Alex Samuel. If Sinclair produces more of the same on Sunday – and in the League Cup group matches – it will be a back-up Saints will be seeking for the next top flight campaign not a new number one.

It’s a shame that Remi Matthews won’t get the chance to say his goodbyes to the Saints fans on Sunday.

The understated assurance he brought to the Perth side’s defence over the course of the campaign was a significant part of the St Johnstone 2022-23 story.

There was a bit of a March wobble in the back-to-back away games against Hearts and Kilmarnock but, all in all, Matthews has been a reliable and consistent goalkeeper with some great saves thrown into the mix along the way.

He might only have been in Perth for a season but he has continued the hugely impressive Mcdiarmid Park goalkeeping succession which, now that Sinclair is on the scene, shows no sign of coming to an end anytime soon.

● Such has been the level of his work-rate, other facets of Stevie May’s game tend to get overlooked.

Wednesday’s match was a timely reminder that there is far more to Saints’ top scorer than running around a lot and closing people down.

This was a May masterclass. His first goal was an accurate, controlled finish and a second-half strike that smashed the woodwork an example of the shooton-sight forward play Maclean will want to see more of.

Now in double figures, this has arguably been the second best season of his career.

With Theo Bair left out of the match-day squad, Zak Rudden only a loan player and Chris Kane working his way back to fitness and soon to be out of contract, the certainty May brings to St Johnstone’s striker department will be a crucial pillar to build the next squad upon.