Highlights: St Johnstone Win Scottish Championship
St Johnstone have maintained their position at the top of the Scottish Championship since matchday one, when they defeated Partick Thistle 5-1. Thistle proved to be their only significant title challengers. Despite this dominance, St Johnstone supporters refrained from celebrating their championship win until Ruari Paton's precise header against Dunfermline on Tuesday triggered celebrations at East End Park.
Under the management of Simo Valakari, the Perthshire Saints secured their immediate return to the Premiership with two games remaining. Throughout the season, it appeared inevitable that they would celebrate their promotion to the top flight next term.
However, fans who have endured challenging seasons remained cautious despite the team's near-flawless campaign.
"Being top throughout has brought a strange sort of comfort in a way, we've never been chasing or anything like that," Saints fan and Dogger Saints podcaster, Danny Williams, told BBC Scotland.
"It's probably quite a natural reaction for football fans to get a bit nervy, especially after having four difficult seasons like we have - I think we've been carrying a bit of scar tissue.
"But, what a feeling enjoying going every week and being confident every week has been, this has just been a lovely way to top it all off."
St Johnstone Players Gatecrash the Sportscene Studio
'That's When the Pendulum Swung'
The season has been relatively straightforward for St Johnstone, much to the delight of those attending matches at McDiarmid Park on Saturdays and Fridays.
They have won the most games (20 out of 24), lost the fewest (three), scored the highest number of goals (64, which is 12 more than Partick Thistle), and conceded the fewest goals (25, 10 fewer than Thistle).
Williams identifies their dominant start—accumulating 28 points out of a possible 30—as a key factor in their title success, providing a cushion even when the team experienced a series of draws around the turn of the year.
"Because it was such a good start, anything less than that, you start to get jittery, a bit touchy after being on such a pedestal," he said.
Williams noted that it was only on 4 April that he felt the momentum decisively shifted in St Johnstone's favor.
"That was a day when you thought, it's totally in our hands," he explained.
"We were 1-0 down to Arbroath but we equalised just before half-time. Then, we went on to win 4-2, while Thistle dropped points away to Ayr."
Relegation Provided 'a Clean Break'
Since their remarkable cup double in 2021, St Johnstone have struggled, frequently facing the threat of relegation before ultimately dropping down.
While relegation is generally negative, the club has made the most of the situation.
"The squad had gone a bit stale - not to have a pop at the guys before!" Williams said. "But it's that old Sir Alex Ferguson saying, 'you never let a team grow old together' and I think that's what happened a little bit under successive managers."
"What relegation did was it gave the squad a clean break.
"There was barely anyone who stayed last summer and the guys that have come in have all played their part and made a positive impact.
"It wasn't a positive thing, going down - and I think certainly when you speak to the owners of the club, they'll tell you from a financial perspective it wasn't positive - but I think the way the club's responded has been really good."
Valakari 'a Total Breath of Fresh Air'
Owner Adam Webb, who spoke emotionally to BBC Scotland at East End Park on Tuesday, deserves credit for the club's progress. Additionally, the management's decision to retain Simo Valakari has been pivotal.
Valakari was appointed on 1 October 2024 but had to wait 25 days due to work permit issues before taking charge.
From the outset, he earned goodwill due to his understanding of the club's challenges, his style of play, and his charismatic personality.
St Johnstone supporters have embraced him as much as he values them.
"Even though we'd gone down and he'd been at the wheel for a lot of it, he almost deserved a chance still," Williams explained.
"He had a lot of goodwill because he's such a decent guy.
"He's so lovable, a real character and he's got such a good way with people.
"He's been a total breath of fresh air around the place, the impact he's had on the city can't go underestimated and now that he's taken us back up at the first time of asking - having gone wire to wire as leaders - he's repaid that faith."
Full-Time Scenes as St Johnstone Win the Championship
When referee Don Robertson's whistle sounded, barely audible over the chants of the 3,000+ travelling supporters, Valakari expressed a mixture of emotion, including joy and exhaustion, as he joined the post-match celebrations.
Supporters had been chanting his name from the 80th minute, and some players lifted him in celebration, a gesture they will repeat with the Championship trophy after their upcoming match against Raith Rovers, which will be broadcast live on BBC Scotland.
Williams describes this as "the most enjoyable season going and watching Saints since Tommy Wright was there." Wright managed the club during a seven-year period that included the landmark 2014 Scottish Cup victory.
Williams acknowledges the cup double achieved under Wright's successor, Callum Davidson, but emphasizes that this league campaign has been defined by remarkable consistency, particularly noting the first 10 games as "totally brilliant."
"It's been nice to have that feeling back, but I think the novelty would wear off after one season," he added, expressing a desire to avoid becoming too accustomed to the second tier.
Fans can now refocus their attention on the Premiership, with two games remaining in the Championship.
Regarding the club's prospects in the top flight, Williams commented:
"We're in a decent place, better than we were last time," Williams said.
"There'll be a lot of guys maybe looking for more opportunities elsewhere next season, but hopefully the core of the squad can stay as it'd be good to see them have a crack at the Premiership because they've done us really well this season."
The team has earned this success and now looks forward to celebrating accordingly.
'We set the standard from day one' - St Johnstone celebrate Championship title
