Steve Lomas tells Saints to reward fans

ST JOHNSTONE manager Steve Lomas has called on his players to reward their home support as the Perth side look to reproduce their away form against Kilmarnock.

Saints have only lost one game away from home, against Hibernian, and only conceded two goals in the other nine fixtures on the road.

But they have conceded 15 at home in the SPL and lost their most recent three matches at McDiarmid Park, against Motherwell, Aberdeen and Celtic. They got back to winning ways with a 3-0 win over Dunfermline at East End Park on Christmas Eve, and Lomas wants his players to take control against Kenny Shiels’ Kilmarnock side tonight.

“We have got to produce something,” he said. “Our supporters were fantastic at Dunfermline – apparently we had about 700 there. They gave us great support and the players responded to it. It’s going to be a tough game. Kenny has got them going well. We have got to take the game to them.”

Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels believes the McDiarmid Park squad is good enough to remain in fourth place in the league until the end of the campaign. “They are in fourth place and I’m not surprised,” he said. “They have a stronger squad than Motherwell, in terms of strength in depth, and they have all their big players back. They invested in the summer for a top-six place, so I am not surprised that they are in fourth place and they could stay there.”

Shiels is still stewing over Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Celtic at Parkhead but insists he is pleased in general with his side’s end-of-year report card.

The Irishman complained at the time added on in the first half by referee George Salmond which allowed Georgios Samaras to open the scoring and he also believed his side were denied a late penalty.

Kilmarnock midfielder Dean Shiels has shrugged off the ankle complaint, while Frazer Wright (thigh) and Cillian Sheridan (hamstring) remain out of St Johnstone’s squad.