Lomas plays down Saints record

Steve Lomas has played down St Johnstone's good SPL record against Celtic this season as he awaits Tuesday night's visit from the champions.

Last Updated: 18/02/13 at 18:15 Post Comment   

Lomas: Saints prepare to face Hoops

Lomas: Saints prepare to face Hoops

The Saints beat Neil Lennon's men 2-1 at McDiarmid Park in September and while they lost 5-0 when the two sides met in the Scottish Communities League Cup quarter-final at Parkhead the following month, Lomas men grabbed a 1-1 draw in the SPL when they returned to the east end of Glasgow in November.

St Johnstone's efforts have barely dented Celtic in their title quest - the champions are 18 points clear of Motherwell at the top of the table - but they have shown the way to the rest of the SPL.

However, the Northern Irishman will not reflect too long on the four points won against the Hoops, who are fresh from a 6-2 hammering of Dundee United at the weekend.

Lomas said: "We are not looking at it like that, we are looking at playing a very good Celtic team.

"They have players like Gary Hooper, Kris Commons, Joe Ledley, Victor Wanyama, Anthony Stokes - the list is endless.

"We will go into the game massive underdogs and it will take another mammoth effort from everyone if we are to get anything.

"When you play the Old Firm you have got to be at your maximum.

"You have to be disciplined, be brave in and out of possession, have a little bit of luck and take your chances when they come along.

"If Celtic get their noses in front then it is very difficult. They bounced back from the Juventus defeat to thrash Dundee United and they can do that against anybody on their day.

"But we are one of eight or nine teams who want to be up there behind them and we are looking forward to the game."

Lomas, though, admits he is still puzzled by Ross County manager Derek Adams' analysis of the Staggies' 1-0 win over Saints in Dingwall on Saturday, which left the Perth side in sixth place.

The former West Ham and Manchester City midfielder said: "I read some of Derek's quotes and he said his side dominated. I'm not sure where he got that from.

"I suppose football is all about opinions but their keeper was man of the match.

"On any other day we could have got three points and it just goes to show you that stats can lie.

"On every stat we were ahead but in the one stat that mattered, they got the goal.

"Their keeper made a few good saves, they had defenders getting blocks in and so all credit to them but I thought we were the better team."

Football365 Facebook Fan Page

The Football365 fan page is a great place to meet like minded people, have football related discussions and make new friends.

Related News

Sky Bet

    • Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

I

m curious as to what image Real Madrid are trying to re-establish as I always thought their pre-Jose image was one of a bunch of a classless bullies tapping up whoever they wanted while living it large on borrowed money they're never going to pay back.

john matrix
Perez Will Spend Big To Forget Jose...

A

t the start of the season, after the RVP transfer, I confidently claimed that Arsenal would finish above United. I now regret it immensely.

Fuzzy_Dunlop
Reflecting On The F365 Pre-Season Predictions

D

aniel Storey generally did very well, going against the City won it last year so they're bound to win it this time grain. As for John Nicholson, I wouldn't trust him to predict correctly what day of the week it will be tomorrow.

Griff
Reflecting On The F365 Pre-Season Predictions

Footer 365

Bastian Schweinsteiger aiming to treat Wembley to footballing perfection

Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger aims to treat Wembley to footballing perfection in the Champions League final.

Pardew to remain at the helm

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will remain in charge at St James' Park after holding talks about his future with owner Mike Ashley.

LB: Toffees won't come unstuck

Leighton Baines insists the upheaval of losing manager David Moyes to Manchester United after 11 years in charge will not derail Everton.

Mail Box

More Scared Of Losing AVB Than Bale...

We thought we would have to resort to another mailbox about maths but we've had some grand opinions about Man United, Newcastle, Tottenham and more. Oh and maths...

An Ode To Rafa And Loads More Mails...

We have one Chelsea fan who recognises the job done by Rafa Benitez while there's maths from Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester. And Shawcross to Arsenal? Nah...

© 2013 British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. All Rights Reserved