best atmosphere I have played in
Jonny Hayes was selected by the media as the man of the match and after the game he spoke to RedTV:
“When you wake up in the morning and think of the perfect day, they don’t get too much better than that! With the two goals and picking up the man of the match award.
“For the first goal the defender made a little movement which put me off but thankfully I managed to get enough on it and the ball went into the back of the net. It was not the cleanest of strikes so I was very thankful when I saw the net bulge!
“The scoreline does not reflect the game. St Johnstone were very much the better team in the first half. We came in 2-0 up at half time but we were all very disappointed with the way we were playing. The Manager was not too happy and the players were not too happy including myself. We know we had to up our game in the second half and I thought we did. The third goal allowed us to have a bit of a cushion which made things a lot easier and the fourth goal allowed us the chance to see out the game comfortably but it was certainly not like that for most of the game and as I say we were very fortunate to be two up at the interval.
“The save from Jamie in the first half maybe went a bit unnoticed but it was as good as a goal. We were only one up at the time so that could easily have been an equaliser and they would have had the momentum. I was right behind it and had a good angle to see just how good a save it was.
“We then got a second goal because of the pace of Peter Pawlett. He just burst past the defenders, I don’t think there is anyone else in the league who can do that. We all have the belief this season he is going to produce something special and he did it. It was a really good finish.
“We have a few boys in the side who have a bit of pace but if you ask everyone in the dressing room they would say Peter is the quickest. Mark Reynolds might argue with that but I believe Peter is the quickest! He is as quick as anyone in the country.
“Once we got two up we knew we were in a good position because of how good the boys at the back are.
“The third goal was crucial and was an excellent finish. I know from playing with him at Inverness how good a finisher Adam Rooney is and how good a player he is. It is not just his finishing, his all round game is excellent. You saw that with the way he set up the first goal. Also his work rate and the effort he puts in for the team is massive. He is very unselfish and helps bring other players like myself, Peter and Niall into the game. The Manager has done very well to bring him here.
“Considering Adam was only play his second game for the club, it highlights just how good a player he is. Also Shaleum did really well considering he only came up on Thursday and only trained with the side on Friday. He has settled in really quickly and that was made easier by the fact he knows a few of the boys from down the road. Also I have filled in at full back a couple of times this season so I know the position is made easier having Russell and Mark playing alongside you but it was still a terrific effort from him.
“I must also praise the fans for turning up in such numbers and for the atmosphere they created, not just in the early stages but for the whole game. Even before the match started when the Manager was trying to do his final team talk we could hear them. I have played at many big stadiums and as a lad I went to places like Anfield and Old Trafford but this is the best atmosphere I have ever played in. When we walked out onto the pitch it was an unbelievable feeling especially knowing that 80% of the crowd were backing us. The fans were superb and all the players would like to thank them.
“We are 90 minutes away from silverware but a lot can happen during those 90 minutes. There are also a lot of big games between now and then so we are not even thinking about it. All we are doing is focussing on our next game and when the final comes around, only then will the Manager divert our attention to it.”
