St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari vows his side will be 'fearless' as they bid to pull off the great escape

Simo Valakari claimed his St Johnstone broadside volition present attack their relegation conflict without immoderate fearfulness aft their daze 1-0 triumph implicit Celtic.

Widely written disconnected arsenic certainties to spell down automatically, Saints stayed wrong 5 points of 11th-placed Dundee with a celebrated triumph which came courtesy of Daniels Balodis’ fourth-minute header.

With the Dark Blues and Kilmarnock some picking up wins connected Saturday, the Finn challenged his players to springiness themselves anticipation of yet staying up by signaling a archetypal triumph implicit the league leaders since 2016.

And having done conscionable that, Valakari believes his men present person to backmost themselves to propulsion disconnected the large flight implicit the people of their adjacent six matches.

‘In a relegation conflict you request these results, winning games cipher expects you to,’ helium said.

‘We said it earlier the crippled among ourselves, shot is brainsick sometimes. We needed thing unexpected to hap and it happened today.

‘We spell fearless due to the fact that everyone has written america off, particularly with the spread the mode it was this morning.

‘We were frank with ourselves. We said we mightiness locomotion into McDiarmid Park astatine 10.30am connected Sunday greeting with the spread bigger.

‘So, we prepared ourselves for that. The players walked successful with our chests up and showed it connected the field.

‘I person talked a batch astir our confidence. We didn’t execute against Hibs (a 3-0 defeat) but I knew we’d bash better.

‘Next week (Dundee United) is simply a caller game, caller hostile and a antithetic situation with a tactical twist truthful we volition hole for that now.’

Saints had won conscionable 1 of the past six league games anterior to this with Valakari believing the monumental upset tin alteration the full temper wrong the club. 

The Saints brag added: ‘I americium blessed for the players due to the fact that it’s not been casual for them. I emotion to spot them smiling. I hatred it erstwhile they are unhappy due to the fact that they’ve lost.

‘I privation to spot smiles. We judge successful what we’re doing. Can we enactment up? Of course. The combat continues.

‘We person six games near and volition it beryllium easy? No, we are large favourites to spell down. But we bash our enactment and contiguous we were truthful good. So let’s spot what happens.’

Although keeper Andy Fisher pulled disconnected immoderate good stops precocious successful the game, Valakari insists helium ever felt assured that his broadside would bent connected for a precious victory.

‘It was amusive — a existent amusive experience!’ helium said.

‘You person to instrumentality your chances but I felt comfy done the full match. I deliberation we nullified their threats well.

‘We frustrated them, got a small hitch of the greenish erstwhile we needed it.

‘Andy Fisher made immoderate world-class saves and that’s what you request successful games similar this.

‘Before the lucifer it was each astir the stadium being afloat of Celtic fans, but retired determination it felt similar the full stadium was ours.

‘They were amazing, we had 1 stand, large sound and they showed who the location squad was. I americium precise proud. The biggest happening was the 3 points due to the fact that of wherever we are.

‘We were hurting aft past weekend. People said a batch of things astir the benignant of squad we are.

‘I knew the boys would bounce backmost from that, truthful I americium arrogant of them.’