St Johnstone 1 St Mirren 0: Stevie May strike seals first home win for relieved boss Callum Davidson

Substitute scores in 72nd minute to earn well-deserved three points

Danny McNamara (L) congratulates Stevie May on his winning goal. (Photo by Bill Murray / SNS Group)

Callum Davidson was a relieved man after his St Johnstone side finally got the breakthrough against St Mirren to earn his first home win as manager.

St Johnstone dominated but passed up a series of chances and found visiting goalkeeper Jak Alnwick on top form.

Davidson feared another sting in the tail after suffering late goals in consecutive 1-0 home defeats by Aberdeen and Hibernian. So he was able to breathe easier when substitute Stevie May slid in to convert Craig Conway’s low cross in the 72nd minute and earn a well-deserved 1-0 win.

“When we scored it was a feeling of relief more than anything because we’d created so many chances,” Davidson said. “You have to credit the players, they were excellent. After suffering the disappointment of the last two games it could have been easy for the heads to go down, but they didn’t let that happen.

“We moved the ball quickly, we were sharp and we got down the sides of St Mirren for most of the game. Sometimes you wonder if 
it’s going to be the same again, creating chances but not scoring. 
So I was delighted to get the goal when Stevie came on.”

The dominant Perth side made the breakthrough after David Wotherspoon fed Conway on the left wing. The former Scotland winger delivered and May turned the ball home from six yards.

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin admitted his team were way off their early-season standards at McDiarmid Park.

“We never did basics right all afternoon,” he said.