St Johnstone 0 - 1 St Mirren: Uncertainty hurts us, Davidson tells decision-makers

ST JOHNSTONE defender Callum Davidson said he does not care who lands the manager’s job, as long as an appointment is made soon.

Saints launched the search for a manager when Derek McInnes quit for Bristol City earlier this month. Under-19s coach Alec Cleland and captain Jody Morris were handed temporary charge of team affairs.

Cleland wants to be considered for the vacancy, but the Perth side have not scored since McInnes’s departure.

They battled out a goalless draw against Dundee United before a 1-0 defeat against St Mirren in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League on Saturday. Davidson fears the uncertainty surrounding the manager’s job is having a detrimental effect on the team.

He said: “What the players want is for somebody to be in charge, whether it’s Alec or someone else. They just want it done. If it’s Alec, he knows where he stands. He knows what he can do then as it’s hard being a caretaker manager.

“I would rather have somebody in pretty soon. For me, we have struggled in the last couple of games. I don’t think we played that well against United and we were poor against St Mirren.

“Once you know who’s in charge, it’s a big thing and hopefully we’ll get someone in soon.”

Sligo Rovers boss Paul Cook was in the frame but dropped out of the running after failing to reach agreement with Saints, while former West Ham midfielder Steve Lomas has also been linked with the job.

Davidson added: “I played against Steve a long time ago and I know him. He would be hungry for the opportunity, but I think everyone the chairman interviews will probably be hungry for the opportunity as well. St Johnstone seems to be a stepping stone for managers to bigger things.

“It’s happened in the past with Sturrock, Coyle and McInnes. That’s just the way the club is, it’s nothing bad. The chairman has been quite good with who he has appointed and he will get it right again.”

An 81st-minute strike from Kenny McLean proved to be the difference between the teams as St Johnstone and St Mirren produced a largely dull affair.

The winner was the 19-year-old’s first goal for the Paisley club and he was thrilled to seal the points.

He said: “It was brilliant to get my first goal and for it to be the winner just makes it even more special. I had a few chances earlier in the game, so it was good to get that first one and, hopefully, it will calm me down in front of goal in the future. It has been a long time coming to be fair and, for it to be the winner, makes it even better.”

The win followed St Mirren’s Scottish Communities League Cup quarter-final defeat to First Division Ayr United in midweek. McLean added: “We wanted to bounce back. It [the cup result] wasn’t what we expected. We just had to use it as motivation and to drive us on and that’s what we did.”