ST JOHNSTONE’s lack of goals has cost them some valuable points this season.
The Perth club have now suffered four 1-0 defeats and in each of those games Callum Davidson’s side have arguably been the better team on the pitch.
Saints’ new 3-5-2 system has resulted in the McDiarmid Park outfit recording the most chances created in the Scottish Premiership outside the Old Firm, so confidence is still high that the goals will start to flow.
Latest signing Craig Bryson has watched on from afar this campaign, after starting the season with Derek McInnes’ Aberdeen. But after witnessing the free-flowing football that his new club had to offer, the 33-year-old was keen to pen a deal as soon as Davidson came calling.
Bryson has experienced plenty goal droughts during a career that has seen him play over 500 games for both club and country, but he also knows how quickly things can change.
“All it takes is one shot to go in from anyone and that turns things around for you,” Bryson told Herald and Times Sport.
“I remember at Derby we hadn’t scored for four games before playing Nottingham Forest in a derby game. We went into it without a goal in a long time but went out and beat them 5-0 that day.
“I got a hat-trick and the fans there will speak to me about it to this day. It was unbelievable, it’s a huge game - you get 30,000-odd fans packing the stadium out.
“So that was a great memory from my time there and it just shows how things can pan out. We came off the back of four games without a goal thinking ‘we have Forest next, we need to get our finger out’ and by half-time we were 3-0 up.
“After that game we went on a run and ended up in the play-off final. What you have to do is stay confident and keep doing the right things.
"If you watch the games we’re getting into good positions and it will turn in our favour. As the gaffer said, if you are playing badly and losing you need to be worried - but that’s not the case.”
Bryson missed last weekend’s match against Ross County due to illness, but after a full week of training the former Kilmarnock man is in contention as Saints travel to Livingston tomorrow.
He continued: “I felt a bit ill at the start of the week with an upset stomach but with everything going on you don’t want to come in and be around people.
“That’s the first thing you think these days, you don’t know what it is and what it could be. I’m just glad to get in and get going now, I can’t wait to get playing.
“I’m fit and ready, raring to go after what happened last season. That was something new in my career, I’ve played a lot of games in my career and have never been out for that long before.
“We have got to the bottom of it now, the ankle injury was hurting other areas of my body because it was making be run differently. But thankfully now I am able to get out there pain-free.
“I want to push on now and get back to doing what I enjoy. I want to play with a smile on my face in the last few years of my career.”
On the threat of Livi, Bryson added: “I’ve not played at Livingston since I came back up the road but watched Aberdeen there and it’s always a difficult place to go.
“They are a good side and we know it’s going to be difficult to get the three points.
“We are playing good football and creating chances, it’s just not going our way at the moment. It would be nice to bring goals because everyone has to contribute on that front.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here