Getting to Know You: St. Johnstone FC

By: Matt | August 21st, 2009

While I could not find a Saints fan to pick the brain of, I still felt it appropriate to do some research and share a little bit about St. Johnstone, their history, and the like. Of course, if I make an arse of myself and get something wrong, any Saints supporters that see this are welcome to correct me. Based in Perth, St. Johnstone were founded in 1884, but played their first official match in 1885. St. Johnstone play their home matches at McDiarmid Park, built in 1989. The Saints have had little success in domestic competitions. It has never won the top flight, nor have won either of the two major cup tournaments: the Scottish Cup or the League Cup. There have been two appearances in the final of the League Cup, losing first to Celtic 1–0 in 1969 and 2–1 to Rangers in 1998, with Canadian internationalist Nick Dasovic scoring for Saints, who have yet to reach a Scottish Cup final. The club have also appeared twice in the Scottish Challenge Cup final, losing 1–0 to Stranraer in 1996, and winning the trophy in 2007 with a 3–2 victory over Dunfermline. They also won the Scottish Consolation Cup in 1911–12.

In terms of the league, the club’s highest-ever finish has been third place in the old First Division. This was in 1970–71, when Saints finished behind Celtic and Aberdeen but ahead of Rangers. This third-placed finish led to a European adventure in the UEFA Cup, beating German giants HSV, something St. Pauli fans can appreciate, and Hungarians Vasas Budapest before finally going out in Yugoslavia to NK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo.

Most recently, the club has been going up and down between the top division and the first division in the last two decades. In 2002, St. Johnstone went down where they remained until this season. While the Saints remained in the First Division, they did enjoy some successes in the League Cup. In 2006, St. Johnstone beat Rangers 2–0 at Ibrox to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup. Steven Milne scored both of the goals. This was the club’s first victory at Ibrox since 1971. It was also the first time St. Johnstone beat Rangers in a cup competition, and the first time that Rangers had been eliminated from a major cup competition at home by lower-division opposition. The Saints continued to show promise in the First Division, always near the top of the table fighting for promotion, and in the 2008-2009 campaign, St. Johnstone seemed destined to return to the top flight. Finally, on May 2nd, 2009, Saints beat Greenock Morton 3-1 at McDiarmid Park to clinch the First Division title and a return to the Premier League after a seven-year absence.

There’s a little info on Celtic’s opponent this weekend, check back later for a preview of the match.