Andy Considine has brought so much more to St Johnstone than purely his experience.
That was the message this week from Perth boss Callum Davidson as the defender prepares for tomorrow’s trip to Kilmarnock.
Considine (35) arrived at McDiarmid Park earlier this summer following a lengthy and successful 18-year spell with Aberdeen.
He has cemented an early-season spot in Davidson’s side, who are off the back of a confidence-boosting 3-0 triumph against St Mirren.
“We’ve got guys who want to defend," Davidson said.
“Andy had been out for a long time, came back and has had to play a lot of games.
“Now we see the benefits of the way he plays, defends and leads the defence.
“Andy is a really experienced player, he knows how to cajole the boys, get into them in training.
“It’s really good and I think it’s helped young Alex Mitchell beside him who’s a young man.
“And he’s got young Adam Montgomery the other side of him so there’s two guys who can run beside him. It’s a really good balance.”
Davidson added: “It’s up to every player to prove themselves at the start. We’ve got Liam Gordon and James Brown sitting there desperate to get in.
“As a back line, you need to be patient. If the team are defending well as a group then it’s harder for players to get in. But I’d rather have that problem than us leaking too many goals from open play.
“I think we can do better from set plays. But from open play we’ve been quite solid.”
Considine will be up against one of his former managers in Derek McInnes, now in the hot-seat at Rugby Park, when Saints head for Ayrshire.
Davidson said: “Derek is a fantastic manager, a proven manager at this level. He’s made some very good signings and his Kilmarnock team works very hard.
“It’s going to be a really tough game on the plastic pitch. I was really pleased with how we did the basics last Saturday, the first contact, second contact, things like that.
“It’s the same again this Saturday. We can’t drop our standards on that one. For me that gives you the chance to win the game.
“Last year we had a lot more draws, we need to try and win games. It’s nice we’ve managed to win a couple of games from a difficult start. It’s important we try and push forward from here.”
Left-sided wing-back Tony Gallacher is edging closer to a first team return after playing 45 minutes in a bounce game against Alloa during the week.
He will soon start applying pressure on Montgomery, who earned praise for his contribution in the St Mirren win - particularly his assist for goal number two.
“This is the first time I’ve got a double-up in positions,” Davidson said. “There’s competition in every position, that’s great for me.
“Adam is great running without the ball. It’s his biggest strength. When he gets into that final third he probably doesn’t cross the ball as much.
“But when he gets into those areas, the penalty box, he’s composed, he can pick passes out. I felt he did that really well last week.”
