Newly-promoted St Johnstone sit fifth in the Premiership after a 1-0 win at Aberdeen, but Lewis Smith insists the lofty position is no surprise to those inside McDiarmid Park.
The Perth side moved into the top six and registered their first away win in the Premiership with the victory at Pittodrie on Sunday. Simo Valakari’s side have kicked on from their promotion and are finding their feet back in the top tier, showing they can play or dig out results - as they did with a solid backline display in the North-east.
Belief within the building
When asked if they are surpassing their expectations, Smith replied: "I wouldn’t say so. In the building, we had all the confidence that we could come into this league and compete. I think other performances have maybe shocked teams with the way we pass the ball and control the game with the ball."
"On Sunday, we showed we can go to a difficult away ground, dig in and defend as well. The belief was always there from us. It was about proving that to people on the outside who didn’t think we were capable. It is a good start but it is only a start. We need to keep that going."
The victory also saw Saints claim their first clean sheet of the season in the top-flight. It is even more remarkable as they only had one fit central defender in Daniel Finlayson and had to play Smith and Matty Foulds beside him.
Full team performance
Smith explained: "Up to 40 yards from our goal we had control of where we wanted to put them. They were more swinging it rather than cutting us open. We knew if we stayed in our shape, frustrated them and forced them into something or just lump it into the box then we were happy to deal with it."
"Toby (Stewart) pulled off a couple of really good saves but not loads for the amount of possession they had. He never had loads and loads of big saves. That is credit to the boys to all the boys; not just the defence but the midfielders getting in front and the boys at the top end of the pitch dropping in. It was a full team performance and one we can be pleased with."
The former Hearts player praised Valakari for pulling off his masterplan. He claimed: "To be fair, we put a lot of work into it over the break, so credit to the gaffer and his coaching team. From when we came back, we worked on it and it has paid off. It is satisfying to get the first clean sheet in that manner. It maybe wasn’t a vintage performance or how you know us to play, but it is a satisfying way to win, especially away from home."
Filling in at centre-back
Smith does have previous experience of playing there from his time with Dundee United. He explained: "I played right of a three for United quite a bit. It was a couple of years ago. As a right-back, it probably suits me playing there, as opposed to wing-back, where there a lot of space in the wide area."
"We did a lot of defending there. I played there in the bounce game over the break and it was great. I enjoyed it and I was more than happy to fill in, like Matty on the other side."
"The game is more in front of you. You are maybe not up against a direct opponent as when you are a full-back you are up against a winger. There you are reading who comes into your area, when to step in and when to hold the line. There is a lot of communicating and decision-making. We got it right on Sunday."
The 31-year-old will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to three games when his former club, Dundee United, head to Perth. "They have started really well also," Smith warned. "They are playing in a different way and controlling games a bit more. That will be a good game. With being at home, we will be looking to control the game with the ball. We will take the defensive positives from Aberdeen and look to control possession as well."
