Derek McInnes

“I think it was a tough game.

“When you play against St Johnstone the first goal is always very important.

“When we did get a bit of flow to our game and got a bit of work done in the wider areas we did look threatening without giving the goalkeeper enough to do. We passed up a couple of opportunities.

“We changed things up a bit to have a more familiar look about ourselves in the second half.

“Again, we passed up a couple more opportunities and got into some good areas. Against St Johnstone you do not get that many chances so it is important that you take them. Whilst I was not convinced we were going to score I did not think we were going to lose the game.

“The referee has a part to play in helping them get the first goal. How we set up and dealt with the free kick is up for debate and we could have done better for that. Whether it is a free kick in the first place, I can’t see that as a blatant pass back. The referee has to be sure and I don’t think he can be.

“There is a little nudge on the back of Ryan (which has forced him to knock the ball back towards his goalkeeper). In hindsight, you could say Ryan should clear it for a corner or Joe should clear it but it is not a pass. I cannot see how that is deemed as a pass back.

“I don’t think we were at our best. I think it was a dour game. You can see how poor our pitch is. We have the second-best team in Scotland but we have the worst pitch in the country. It was awful. It was bobbly and dry. People were slipping. It is a poor surface. It did not help us or St Johnstone get any real flow in the game.

“It is a bit of a nothing game to be honest. It was competitive enough, it was honest enough and people were trying to get involved in the game but without that real flow to it for either team.

“I thought we looked the more likely to get the first goal but without really suggesting we were definitely going to get the goal.

“It was a poor performance by our normal standards.

“Every game after the split is tough. Every team has stuff to sort out. Every team has things to play for. St Johnstone is the casing point today. No one is going to give it to you and we have to try and bring a performance we are happy with. I think today we have to be honest and say we were not anywhere near our best.

“At the start of the season if we had been offered – four games to go, nine points clear with a far superior goal difference, we would have taken that all day long. There is no question of that. So we are in a strong position. Today is disappointing and it has not gone our way but we don’t normally go through periods where we don’t win enough games. We are more than capable of winning games in the run in and I am confident we will do that.

“We did not mention it (the Rangers result) before the game. We just spoke about going out and winning the game for ourselves. We prepared yesterday as we normally do and did not speak about other games then. We just had to concentrate on our own performance. Unfortunately, today it was not enough to win the game but I think the scoreline is a bit harsh on us.

“St Johnstone have come up here and worked away well and they have taken advantage of a situation and once they got in front I thought they were very comfortable.”

This week's £1000 winner!