Blairlookin g to bounce back against Dee
The 24-year-old left Falkirk in the summer after the Bairns missed out on promotion in the playoffs with Kilmarnock.
Alston admits he has had to adapt his game to secure a place in manager Tommy Wright’s line-up.
The Perth player, who is looking to bounce back in today’s lunchtime kickoff against Tayside neighbours Dundee after suffering a shock 1-0 defeat from Killie, has been on a steep learning curve, despite clocking-up nearly 200 appearances for the Bairns.
There’s stiff competition for starting places in the McDiarmid midfield and he admitted: “At the start I found it harder than I thought I would. But now I know everyone and how they want to play, I’m settling quite well.
“At no point did I think I’d come in and just play every week. I didn’t think I started as well as I knew I could. I’m not going to say I’m going to play every week now but I know where I need to be and what I need to do to make sure I’m in the team more often than not.
“The tempo is a lot harder and you’re playing against players who’ve played at this level an awful lot longer than I have.
“It’s always going to be a step up to this level but it’s something I always wanted to do. It was going to take a bit of time to settle but I’m getting used to it. And I’m enjoying it.
“It feels a little like starting from scratch. It’s totally different. But playing so many games at Falkirk has helped me massively. I’ve played against really good players before, just not quite as regularly.
“I certainly feel like I’m capable at this level. It’s now about standing my ground and saying I deserve to be here.”
Alston forged a reputation for creativity and now wants to add goals to his game.
He’s had to tailor his game to provide defensive cover but he’s eager to get off the mark for Saints.
“It’s now about having more belief in myself to say I am good enough to play here and go and create opportunities, maybe score goals and set them up.”
Alston admits Saints are licking their wounds after losing to Killie.
“Last week was disappointing. We had such a decent start to the season and had a good away win at Ross County the week before. It was probably a bit of a shock to us to lose the game.”