Jamie Gullan shared his delight after netting his first St Johnstone goal in our 1-1 pre-season friendly draw away at Forfar Athletic.
But the summer arrival highlighted that building fitness and sharpness ahead of the competitive football starting was the most important thing.
Gullan won a ninth-minute penalty for the Saints and, after dusting himself down, stepped up to give us the lead with a composed finish down the middle.
The visitors retaliated from a corner later in the half before there were no further goals after the break.
“It was a good workout,” Gullan said. “At this time of the season it’s all about getting minutes in the legs and the new boys gelling together.
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“We were able to work on a few things that we have been doing in the last couple of weeks and we’ll take positives from that.
“We created enough to win the game, but it is not really about that in pre-season. We want to get as fit as we can and be ready for next Saturday.”
On his first goal for the club, he continued: “It was a good way to start – I’m happy with it. You want to get into good habits and see the ball hitting the back of the net.
“It’s always nice to score, whether a pre-season friendly or a league game. Hopefully there are a lot more to come.”
Focus now switches to our next pre-season friendly – a home test against Falkirk on Tuesday evening (7.30pm kick-off).
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Gullan said: “I’m really enjoying my time here. I like the way the training has been and the lads have been brilliant with me. I’ve settled well and I’m looking forward to the competitive stuff.
“It will be a tough game against Falkirk on Tuesday. They are a good team who pass the ball around well. It will be a good test and good to see where we are ahead of the Premier Sports Cup next Saturday.
“Hopefully we have a successful group stage in the cup and then we’ll be straight into the league.”
