Heartbreak for St Johnstone as defeat at Tynecastle seals relegation

St Johnstone’s 16-year stay in the Premiership is over after their 2-1 defeat away to resurgent Hearts in the penultimate game of the campaign ensured they can no longer climb off the foot of the table.

Simo Valakari’s side have been bottom ever since losing at Tynecastle the weekend before Christmas and, despite a valiant effort to improve their predicament in recent months, they were unable to take their fight to the final day.

An early own goal from Saints defender Barry Douglas followed by Alan Forrest’s strike left the Perth men up against it at the break. Despite pulling one back through substitute Graham Carey, their fate was confirmed when Ross County – the team directly above them – secured a point away to Dundee with an equaliser several minutes after the match at Tynecastle had finished.

Hearts, who are set to seal the appointment of Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes as their new boss in the coming days, were able to enjoy a third win in a row since caretaker Liam Fox took the reins following the sacking of Neil Critchley last month.

Fox made two changes to the side that started Saturday’s 3-0 win over Motherwell, with attacker Yan Dhanda in for his first start since the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup win at Brechin four months previously and left-back Harry Milne given only his second start since joining from Partick Thistle in January.

There were three changes to the Saints team who defeated County on Saturday as Victor Griffith, Makenzie Kirk and Stephen Duke-McKenna replaced Sven Sprangler, Uche Ikpeazu and Adama Sidibeh.

The visitors threatened in the seventh minute after Josh McPake stepped inside Adam Forrester to create an opening just outside the six-yard box but Ryan Fulton got down to block his shot.

Hearts went ahead in the 17th minute when Milne burst down the left and fizzed over a dangerous low cross that was knocked into his own net by Douglas.

After Saints midfielder Elliot Watt curled an effort over the bar, Dhanda went close for the hosts when he smacked a free-kick off the crossbar in the 19th minute.

Hearts’ second came in the 31st minute when Forrest got himself clear in the box after running on to Lawrence Shankland’s pass and drilling home a low angled finish for his third goal in as many games.

Saints had a chance to pull one back just before the break when McPake dispossessed Frankie Kent and burst clear but goalkeeper Fulton spread himself to make an impressive save.

The visitors were booed off by their supporters at the break and Valakari responded with a double substitution for the start of the second half as Griffith and Sam Curtis were replaced by Graham Carey and Sprangler.

Hearts captain Shankland – out of contract this summer and potentially playing his last game at Tynecastle – went agonisingly close to finding the net with an audacious attempt from the halfway line on the hour mark.

Saints gave themselves a glimmer of hope in the 74th minute when Carey curled home a free-kick from 20 yards out. Despite a narrow defeat, it looked like they might at least get to take their fight to the final day until County’s stoppage-time goal at Dens Park consigned them to the Championship for the first time since 2009 after the Saints players had already gone up the tunnel.

Speaking after the game, Valakari said: “I see it this way – we could not get the result in our game so it was out of our hands what happened elsewhere.

“We cry tonight, we cry tomorrow and then on Friday we turn our heads to changing this club back to winning ways. That starts on Sunday.

“We respect the table. We weren’t good enough or clinical enough in key moments.

“We put ourselves in a difficult place. When you need a favour you’re relying on luck but it wasn’t to be.

“When you look at the history of this club it has been difficult for a few years.

“We’ve been fighting relegation for a while. Now it has happened and it hurts.”

Valakari insisted he is up for the challenge of trying to bring Saints straight back up next season.

“I’ve already told my players it was hard to play in this relegation battle, but if this was pressure, it will be even more pressure next year,” he said.

“Pushing for promotion you need to be at your best every day and even when you are not at your best you still need to get results.

“It will be very, very hard and a big job to turn around the culture of the club, but that starts on Friday.”