Champions St Johnstone host Raith Rovers on trophy presentation day.
Raith Rovers have failed to find the net against the Champions in the Championship in their 3 attempts this season. St Johnstone came out with 3 points in the first league meeting between the sides, winning 2-0 on the road. The sides have met twice after that, with both games finishing goalless. Raith Rovers’ last win against Friday night’s opponents came back in 2004, in a 1-0 win. Their last win at McDiarmid Park came in September 2003, in another 1-0 win.
St Johnstone come into this fixture off the back of a 2-0 win away from home against Dunfermline Athletic, which saw them become champions. The Perth outfit are unbeaten in their last 12 Championship matches, winning 7 and drawing 5.
Raith Rovers come into this meeting off the back of a 2-1 defeat away from home against Arbroath, which ended a run of 4 consecutive wins.
The maximum number of points that St Johnstone can reach is 77, no side has reached that figure in the Championship since Rangers won the title in 2015/16, when they finished on 81 points.
Although still within reach, the play offs look increasingly unlikely for Raith Rovers. Dougie Imrie’s side currently sit 5th, 5 points behind Dunfermline in 4th, who play Queen’s Park away from home, before rounding off the league season at home against Arbroath.
Josh McPake will play his final game for St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Friday night. The winger, who will join Hearts in the summer, joined the Saints on a free transfer in June 2024. The forward has enjoyed an impressive campaign with St Johnstone thus far, scoring 16 goals in the league, which sees him lead the way in the top scoring charts – 3 ahead of Dunfermline’s Tod.
Keeper Toby Steward, who has kept 18 league clean sheets so far, summed up his loan spell after securing the title on Tuesday night against Dunfermline Athletic:
“My family have come up loads and they have absolutely loved it. They have new friends now, both supporters and people from around the club.
“From day one, we had a goal. That was to make something happen and go up. For the fans and everyone connected with the club, I’m so happy we could do it.
“The boys are all amazing. A great group. And obviously great players. They are friends for life now. I’ll never forget this. Just fantastic. It’s been class. Absolutely loved it.”
Raith Rovers sit 2nd when it comes to clean sheets. The Fife outfit have kept 15 clean sheets in the league, 2 more than their city rivals Dunfermline Athletic.
Simo Valakari on the difficulty of the Championship:
“It is a difficult league because you play every week and every opponent is at you. They’re kicking, they’re pushing you, so to do this our way, it’s unbelievable. I’m so proud of everyone.
“It’s not easy with how much I have demanded from them. We have been in numerous Sundays when everyone else is sleeping in their beds. We have been training on Sundays after the Saturday.
“We have been working, we have had many things (to deal with), but the players, they wanted this. That was the biggest thing. All of these players wanted to be here. They want our club to be successful.”
On Friday night:
“The fans have been by our side all season, now we can all look forward to a great day at McDiarmid Park on Friday. Let’s make it a carnival, let’s make it full rock and roll.”
