St Johnstone star Stevie May reckons his impressive energy levels are the product of football enjoyment.
The Perth forward, alongside his goals in recent weeks, has caught the eye with a determined work ethic this season.
Manager Callum Davidson hailed May’s Saturday shift against Kilmarnock at McDiarmid Park as “incredible”.
Now 29, May believes playing with a smile on his face - and of course winning games - helps him cover those extra yards when legs are tiring.
“I’m feeling good in the games,” he smiled. “I think when you enjoy it then it becomes a bit easier.
“I’m enjoying my football and I think some more energy comes with that.
“Training is hard here, it’s tough but everyone puts in the work. I just work hard every day and give everything I can on a Saturday. That is paying off at the moment.
“I’m really happy. Getting into the team was the main thing at the start of the season. I just wanted to be playing games and I’ve managed to do that.
“We are getting wins and I’m playing well, so I need to try and continue that for the rest of the season.
“We have a good system going and it seems to be getting better every week. We’re in a good place at the moment.”
May got the ball rolling at the weekend with a left-footed strike after just four minutes.
It deflected off Killie defender Ash Taylor before finding the back of the net but May insisted: “I’m claiming it.
“When I hit it, I thought it was going into the bottom corner. I tried to get a yard of space and hit the ball across goal.
“I’m not sure who decides whose goal it is, but the main thing is we’ve now got another three points and back-to-back wins so I’m happy.
“It was important for us to get that early goal because, the longer you let the game go at 0-0, it becomes harder and harder. It is something we haven’t done enough of over the last while.
“Every goal helps but it was just a great win for us as a team, especially when you look at the table.
“It is so important to beat the teams around you. It really was a big one for us.
“The league can change quickly and, with the break this year, you want to be going into that on a real positive note.
“You don’t want to be lulling down towards the bottom and stressing about it.
“You want to have some time to relax and have something to build on when you come back.”
Saints, who have bumped up to eighth in the standings, welcome Rangers to McDiarmid Park on Sunday.
May added: “We said previously that we wanted to put a couple of wins together and we’ve managed to do that.
“Hopefully we can build on it. We’ll have a go at Rangers and see what happens.”
