Callum Davidson confident of St Johnstone improvement but survival the priority

Callum Davidson is confident this season will see an improvement from St Johnstone, although the manager admits their primary objective is to survive in the cinch Premiership.

After finishing in the top six for nine out of the previous 10 campaigns, Saints endured a grim 2021-22 as they sat bottom of the table for long periods before eventually securing their safety with victory over Inverness in the play-off final in May.

Asked what success will look like for the Perth side this season, Davidson – whose team are one of the favourites to finish bottom – said: “Staying up. We want good cup runs but first and foremost we have to stay in the league.

“That always sounds negative but we’ve always said it at this club for as long as I can remember. We need to make sure we start the season well and give ourselves an opportunity to score some goals and push ourselves as high up the league as we can.

“For me, it’s about playing with enthusiasm and positivity, and giving the supporters something to shout about. I hope this season’s better than the last one or I won’t be sitting here. I’m confident. I think we’ve got a good squad together.”

Davidson has lost some big characters like Shaun Rooney, Zander Clark, Jamie McCart and Liam Craig over the summer but he is happy with his recruitment so far and believes he has signed players in the mould of those who have brought relative success to the club in previous seasons.

“It’s been quite a big turnover and it’s hard to get players in but I’m pleased with the ones we’ve got in,” he said. “I think we’ve got a real good attacking threat now.

“We’ve got a good balance as well – we’ve got some experienced boys in to replace the ones we’ve lost and we’ve got some young players in too. We’ve