St. Johnstone is a Scottish football team that plays its home games at McDiarmid Park in Perth. Although they are officially recorded as being formed in 1884, recent research has shown that they were actually founded in 1885.
During the 2005/06 season, St. Johnstone finished second in the Scottish First Division. This was the club’s highest placing since being relegated from the Scottish Premier League in 2002.
The team is currently managed by former Republic of Ireland international Owen Coyle.
Contents
1
History
2 Willie Ormond era
3 Relegations and rebuilding
4 Success in the 1990s
5 The new millennium
6 Managers past and present
7 Current squad
o 7.1 Out on loan
o 7.2 Current starting eleven
8 Notable players
9 Notable fans
10 Non-playing staff
11
Honours
12 Records
13 Trivia
14 External links
History
Although the ‘Saints’ have had two relatively successful periods in their history, the club remains without any wins in national competitions to date, barring the Scottish Consolation Cup triumph of 1911-12. There have been two appearances in the final of the Scottish League Cup, losing first to Celtic, 1-0 in 1969 and then 2-1 to Rangers in 1998, with Canadian internationalist Nick Dasovic scoring for Saints. The club also appeared once in the Scottish League Challenge Cup final, losing 1-0 to Stranraer in 1996.
Willie Ormond era
In terms of the league, the club’s highest-ever finish has been third place in the old First Division, which occurred on two occasions. The first was in 1970/1971, when Saints finished behind Celtic and Aberdeen but ahead of Rangers. The team was mostly comprised of the 1969 League Cup team, managed by Willie Ormond, who eventually went on to manage Scotland. The club had some excellent players during this period, who later went on to success at other clubs – such as Henry Hall, Alex MacDonald, John Lambie, John Connolly and Jim Pearson.
This third-placed finish led to a European adventure in the UEFA Cup, beating German giants SV Hamburg and Hungarians Vasas Budapest before finally going out narrowly in Yugoslavia to NK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo. The club continued to play in the top division of the Scottish Football League until reconstruction in 1975, but were relegated from the new Scottish Premier Division in its first season.
McDiarmid Park’s south stand is named the Ormond Stand in his honour.
Relegations and rebuilding
It took Saints until 1983 to return – albeit for a single season – before setting a record through suffering two successive relegations in 1984 and 1985. They eventually found themselves bottom of the entire league in 1986 and skirted with financial oblivion, before local businessman Geoff Brown stepped in.
An unprecedented change in the club’s focus occurred over the next decade or so, with the move from long-term home Muirton Park to the new purpose-built McDiarmid Park on the outskirts of the city, the first purpose-built all-seater stadium built in the United Kingdom. This plus the input of significant transfer funds and the appointment of manager Alex Totten spurred Saints through the leagues. They obtained promotion to the Scottish First Division in 1988. Saints then memorably won the First Division championship and promotion to the Scottish Premier Division in 1990 during the first season of football at McDiarmid Park.
Success in the 1990s
The well-funded success could not continue forever, and after suffering another relegation under the following managers John McClelland and particularly Paul Sturrock, more emphasis was placed on the club rearing its own players.
Sturrock’s 1996/1997 side achieved promotion – breaking all sorts of records along the way – returning the club to the top division. They more than held their own in the first season back up, establishing their membership of the newly-founded Scottish Premier League for its opening season in 1998.
Although Sturrock soon left for Dundee United, the club found a second ‘golden period’ in 1998/1999 under new manager Sandy Clark, when the club finished behind Rangers and Celtic. That season they also reached the final of the League Cup and the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
As a result, Saints enjoyed a further UEFA Cup run in late 1999 – starting with a win over Finnish side Vaasan Palloseura before being knocked out by French giants Monaco.
The new millennium
After a period of steady decline, the club were eventually relegated from the Scottish Premier League in 2002, and remain in the First Division.
On November 8, 2006, St. Johnstone achieved a 2-0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox to reach the semi-final of the League Cup. Steve Milne scored both of the goals.
Managers past and present
St. Johnstone has had 21 managers in its history:
Republic of Ireland Owen Coyle (2005-date)
Scotland John Connolly (2004-2005)
Scotland Billy Stark (2001-2004)
Scotland Sandy Clark (1998-2001)
Scotland Paul Sturrock (1993-1998)
Northern Ireland John McClelland (1992-1993)
Scotland Alex Totten (1987-1992)
Scotland Ian Gibson (1985-1987)
Scotland Alex Rennie (1980-1985)
Scotland Alex Stuart (1978-1980)
Scotland Jim Storrie (1976-1978)
Scotland Jackie Stewart (1973-1976)
Scotland Willie Ormond (1967-1973)
Scotland Bobby Brown (1958-1967)
Scotland Johnny Pattillo (1953-1958)
Scotland Jimmy Crapnell (1947-1953)
Scotland David Rutherford (1936-1947)
Scotland Tommy Muirhead (1931-1936)
Scotland David Taylor (1924-1931)
Scotland Jimmy Buchan (1920-1922)
Scotland Peter Grant (1919-1920)
Prior to this, the team was picked by committee – a practice in wide use at the time.
Current squad
No. Position Player
Scotland GK Kevin Cuthbert
England GK Bryn Halliwell
Scotland GK Gordon O’Brien
Scotland DF Steven Anderson
Scotland DF Willie Dyer
Northern Ireland DF Mark Gallagher
Scotland DF Kevin James (captain)
Scotland MF Neil Janczyk
Scotland DF Andy Lawrie
Scotland DF Allan McManus
Germany DF Simon Mensing
Scotland DF Kevin Rutkiewicz
Republic of Macedonia DF Goran Stanic
No. Position Player
Scotland MF Bobby Barr
Scotland MF Martin Hardie
Scotland MF Paul Lawson (on loan from Celtic)
Scotland MF Willie McLaren
Scotland MF Danny O’Donnell
Scotland MF Paul Sheerin
England MF Darren Sheridan
Republic of Ireland FW Owen Coyle
Scotland FW Steven Doris
Republic of Ireland FW Andy Jackson
Scotland FW Peter MacDonald
Scotland FW Steve Milne
Trinidad and Tobago FW Jason Scotland
Out on loan
No. Position Player
Scotland MF Kevin Moon (on loan to Forfar until January 2007)
Scotland FW Stephen Dobbie (on loan to Dumbarton until January 2007)
Scotland MF Ryan Stevenson (on loan to Ayr United until November 2006)
Current starting eleven
Opposition: Rangers (a) (League Cup, November 8, 2006)
Formation: 4-4-2
GK: Halliwell
RB: Lawrie
CB: McManus
CB: Anderson
LB: Stanic
RM: Mensing
CM: Lawson
CM: Hardie
LM: Sheerin
ST: Milne
ST: Scotland
Notable players
Scotland Scotland
Sergei Baltacha
Jimmy Benson
John Brogan
Callum Davidson
Billy Dodds
Simon Donnelly
Alex Ferguson
Roddy Grant
Darren Jackson
John Lambie
Ally McCoist
Alan Main
John McClelland
Sandy McLaren
Allan Preston
Drew Rutherford
Jim Weir
Paul Wright
England England
Andy Rhodes
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland
George O’Boyle
Danny Griffin
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland
Alan Kernaghan
Austria Austria
Attila Sekerlioglu
Canada Canada
Nick Dasovic
Notable fans
Stuart Cosgrove – co-presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s bi-weekly Off The Ball programme
Fred MacAulay – radio presenter and comedian
Colin McCredie – actor (Taggart)
Fraser Thomson – radio presenter (Xfm Scotland)
Non-playing staff
Chairman: Geoff Brown
Managing Director: Stewart Duff
Club Directors:
o Dougie McIntyre
o Steve Park
o Steve Brown
o Stan Harris
o Abby Ramsay
Manager: Owen Coyle
Coach: Jim Weir
Reserve Coach: Jim Weir
Youth Coach: Tommy Campbell
Club Doctor: Alistair McCracken
Phyiso: Nick Summersgil
Assistant physio: Jocky Peebles
SFA Community Coach: Atholl Henderson
Head Groundsman: Chris Smith
Honours
First Division champions (3): 1982/83, 1989/90, 1996/97
Second Division champions (3): 1923/24, 1959/60, 1962/63
League Cup runners up (2): 1969/70, 1998/99
Records
Record home attendance: 29,972 vs Dundee (February 10, 1951) (at Muirton Park)
Record cup win: 13-0 vs Tulloch (September 17, 1887)
Record cup loss: 12-0 vs Cowdenbeath (January 21, 1928)
Most capped player: Sandy McLaren: 5 (Scotland)
Record league appearances: Drew Rutherford – 345
Most league goals: John Brogan – 140
Most goals in one season: Jimmy Benson – 38 (1931/32)
Trivia
Between 1885 and 1924, St. Johnstone played their home games at Recreation Park in Perth, near to the prison, and then, from 1924 to 1989, at Muirton Park.
Their current McDiarmid Park home, built in 1989, was the first purpose-built all-seater football stadium in the country.
They are the only league team in England or Scotland to have the letter “J” in their name.
Their name is derived from the patron saint of Perth, St. John, hence St. John’s Toun or St. Johnstone.
St. Johnstone are the only Scottish side to be unbeaten at home in European football.
On his DVD 1000 Years of Popular Music, singer-songwriter Richard Thompson explains in his introduction to the song “Bonnie St. Johnstone” how the town itself has been mostly absorbed into Perth —- the most prominent recognition of the name now being the football club.
Share your knowledge about 'St. Johnstone' with the thousands of monthly visitors to this website. Additions, questions, corrections, obmissions, are all welcome (no matter how large or small), in fact we positively encourage it! Leave your contribution to the 'St. Johnstone' page by filling in the form below.