professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1886–87 and they joined the Scottish Football League in 1911–12. Historically, St Johnstone tended to float between the top two divisions of Scottish football and gained the reputation of being a " yo-yo club". The team won the Scottish Football League First Division, then the second tier of Scottish league football, in 2008–09, bringing a return of first tier football to McDiarmid Park for the 2009–10 season after a seven-year absence. They have played in the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Football League (SFL). It was abolished in 2013, when t ...

, rebranded as the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...

in 2013, for fourteen seasons to 2022–23, their longest ever stay in the highest league. St Johnstone's traditional rivals are the two Dundee clubs, Dundee and Dundee United, with matches between St Johnstone and either Dundee club being called " Tayside derbies". St Johnstone had limited success in cup competitions for the first 130 years of their history, losing at the semi-final stage on numerous occasions as well as losing two

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in exist ...

finals. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, they won their first

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Livingston 1–0 in the

League Cup final The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...

and Hibernian 1–0 in the Scottish Cup final. They have also won the Scottish second tier seven times, the

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

, the B Division Supplementary Cup in 1949 and the Scottish Consolation Cup in 1911 and 1914. They have qualified for European competitions in seven seasons, including four consecutively from

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

to 2016. Their highest league position in the top division is third place on three occasions:

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

. St Johnstone are the only professional football club in Britain with the letter 'J' in their name.

History

Origins

St Johnstone FC was formed by members of a local

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

club seeking ways to occupy their time and keep fit once the cricket season had finished. The cricketers were kicking a football around the South Inch, a large public park beside the River Tay during the autumn of 1884. This is widely acknowledged to be the date of the formation of St Johnstone Football Club, although it was not until early in the following year that a group of footballers, led by John Colborn, held an official meeting that led to the formation of the football club as a separate entity rather than a 'spin-off' from the cricket club.Official club website history section
Football was becoming increasingly popular in Scotland and, although there were other local clubs including Fair City Athletic, Erin Rovers and Caledonian (based at Perth railway station), it was St Johnstone that became the one most associated with the town. The name is traced back to the Middle Ages when Perth was colloquially known as 'St John's Toun' (or 'Saint Johnstoun') as the church at the centre of the parish was dedicated to St John the Baptist.

Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin liturgical tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and i ...

(The Lamb of God), the symbol associated with John the Baptist, forms part of St Johnstone's club badge. Club members leased a piece of land adjacent to the South Inch, known as the Recreation Grounds, which became St Johnstone's first home ground. After several decades – and regular problems with flooding – it became clear they had outgrown the venue and so, in 1924, they moved to the other side of Perth and built Muirton Park, which would serve as their home for the next 65 years.

1886 to 1972

St Johnstone made their debut appearance in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1886–87 tournament but were defeated 7–1 in a first round replay by the Erin Rovers club, also based in Perth, after a 3–3 draw at home. In the

1910–11 Scottish Division Two The 1910–11 Scottish Division Two was won by Dumbarton, with Vale of Leven finishing bottom. This season Ayr and Ayr Parkhouse merged to form Ayr United Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scott ...

season,

Port Glasgow Athletic F.C. Port-Glasgow Athletic was a football club based in Port Glasgow, Scotland. The club was formed in 1878 and originally named Broadfield before changing their name in 1881. They played in the Scottish Football League between 1893 and 1911, and were ...

finished next to bottom and declined to apply for re-election. They were replaced for the

1911–12 Scottish Division Two The 1911–12 Scottish Division Two was won by Ayr United, with Albion Rovers and Vale of Leven The Vale of Leven (Scottish Gaelic: ''Magh Leamhna'') is an area of West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, in the valley of the River Leven. Historically, it ...

season by St Johnstone, who finished fifth in their first season with ten wins and eight defeats. St Johnstone were promoted to the old First Division in 1924–25, by winning the Second Division title, and appointed David Taylor as team manager. They remained in the top flight until 1929–30 when they finished bottom of Division One. Two years later, under new manager

Tommy Muirhead Thomas Allan Muirhead (24 January 1897 – 27 May 1979) was a Scottish footballer who played for Hibernian, Rangers and Scotland. Playing career Hibernian and Rangers Muirhead, a forward who was occasionally deployed as a half-back, was signed ...

, the Saints were runners-up in Division Two to gain their second promotion. They performed well in Division One through the 1930s, reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup in 1933–34 and finishing fifth in 1932–33 and 1934–35. In the final season before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, St Johnstone played well under manager David Rutherford to finish eighth. The Scottish Football League suspended competition for the duration of the war but sixteen clubs were able to form a regional Southern Football League that managed to operate each season. St Johnstone were closed for most of the war and lost their top flight status as a result. The Southern Football League continued through the post-war 1945–46 season but with two divisions to incorporate clubs that were restarting, including St Johnstone. The Saints played in the 1945–46 B Division and finished sixth of fourteen clubs. When the Scottish League restarted in 1946, the Southern League set-up was used as the first post-war competition, so the A Division became the new First Division and the B Division the new Second Division. St Johnstone had lost all the ground gained in the 1930s and could only finish ninth in Division Two in 1946–47.

Jimmy Crapnell James Scrymagour Crapnell (4 June 1903 – 24 December 1991) was a Scottish football player and manager. He played as a right back for Airdrieonians and Motherwell at club level, and represented both Scotland and the Scottish League XI. Career ...

became the team manager for the 1947–48 season and was succeeded by

Johnny Pattillo Johnny Pattillo (17 October 1914 – August 2002)Biography of J ...

for 1953–54. The Saints remained in the Second Division throughout the tenures of these two managers. Bobby Brown took over in the summer of 1958 and, in his second season 1959–60, the club finally won promotion again. Brown and his successor

Willie Ormond William Esplin Ormond (23 February 1927 – 4 May 1984) was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s and ...

both managed

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

after leaving St Johnstone. In 1970–71, under Ormond, Saints finished third in the league and qualified for the

1971–72 UEFA Cup The 1971–72 UEFA Cup was the inaugural year of the UEFA Cup (now known as the UEFA Europa League), which effectively replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. It was won by English side Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur over their countryme ...

.

Cup Competitions

The club historically has had little success in national competitions. Prior to winning the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,Stranraer in 1996, and winning the trophy in 2007 with a 3–2 victory over Dunfermline. Saints' Scottish Cup win came after seven semi-final appearances dating back to 1934. They have never won the top league. There were two appearances in the final of the League Cup, losing first to Celtic 1–0 in 1969 and 2–1 to

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

in 1998, with

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

internationalist Nick Dasovic scoring for ''Saints''. In 2020–21, St Johnstone won their first League Cup and second Scottish Cup to complete a historic Cup double, becoming only the fourth team to achieve the feat. They defeated Livingston 1–0 in the

League Cup final The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...

and Hibernian 1–0 in the Scottish Cup final. Defender Shaun Rooney headed the winner in both matches.

Willie Ormond era

In terms of the league, the club's highest-ever finish has been third place in the old First Division, which has occurred on three occasions. The first was in 1970–71, when ''Saints'' finished behind Celtic and

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

but ahead of Rangers. The team was mostly the 1969 League Cup team, managed by

Willie Ormond William Esplin Ormond (23 February 1927 – 4 May 1984) was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s and ...

, who eventually went on to manage

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. The club had some notable players during this period, who later went on to success at other clubs, e.g. Henry Hall, Alex MacDonald, John Lambie, John Connolly, and

Jim Pearson Jim Pearson (born 24 March 1953 in Falkirk) is a Scottish former footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American ...

. This third-placed finish led to a European adventure in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cla ...

, beating German giants Hamburger SV and Hungarians

Vasas Budapest Vasas may refer to: * Vasas SC, Hungarian sports club *Győri Vasas, former name of Hungarian sports club Győri ETO (1950-65) *Mihály Vasas (born 1933), Hungarian footballer and manager *Zoltán Vasas Zoltán Vasas (born 5 November 1977) is ...

before finally going out in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

to

NK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo NK may refer to: Businesses *Imerys (Euronext ticker code NK) *Nordiska Kompaniet, a department store in Stockholm, Sweden *Northrup-King Seed Company *Spirit Airlines (IATA code NK) *NK.pl, a Polish school-based social networking service Places ...

. The club continued to play in the top division of the Scottish Football League until reconstruction in 1975, but were relegated from the new

Premier Division Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of gov ...

in its first season. McDiarmid Park's south stand is named the Ormond Stand in his honour.

Relegations and rebuilding

It took ''Saints'' until 1983 to return to the top flight – albeit for a single season – before setting a record through suffering two successive

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open league ...

s in 1984 and 1985. They eventually found themselves bottom of the entire league in 1986 and skirted with financial oblivion, before local businessman Geoff Brown stepped in. An unprecedented change in the club's focus occurred over the next decade or so, with the move from long-term home Muirton Park to the new purpose-built McDiarmid Park on the outskirts of the city, the first purpose-built all-seater stadium built in the United Kingdom. The new stadium was named to recognise the donation of land by local farmer Bruce McDiarmid. This plus the input of significant transfer funds and the appointment of manager Alex Totten spurred ''Saints'' through the leagues. They obtained promotion to the First Division in 1988. ''Saints'' then won the First Division championship and promotion to the

Premier Division Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of gov ...

in 1990 during the first season of football at McDiarmid Park. ''Saints'' finished 1990–91 in 7th place, but their season was buoyed by an appearance in the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,John McClelland for the

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

season. The Irishman didn't fare much better, however, leading the club to 6th place. Another semi-finals cup appearance, this time the League Cup, sweetened the campaign slightly. St Johnstone's four-year run in the Premier Division came to an end in 1993–94, a 10th-placed finish sending them back to the First Division. McClelland left the club before the season ended, and was replaced by former Dundee United striker Paul Sturrock.

Success in the 1990s

Under Sturrock's stewardship, more emphasis was placed on the club rearing its own players. This bore fruit in the form of Callum Davidson and Danny Griffin. Sturrock also introduced – at least in principle – the concept of morning and afternoon training sessions in an attempt to raise the fitness level of his players. In Sturrock's first full season in charge, ''Saints'' finished 5th in the First Division and reached the quarter-finals of the League Cup. In 1995–96, he led them to fourth place and a

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1996–97 with the First Division championship and a return to the top flight. The club more than held their own in the first season back. Their 5th-placed finish meant they became founder members of the SPL the following season. Although Sturrock soon left for Dundee United, the club found a second 'golden period' in 1998–99 under new manager Sandy Clark, when the club finished third in the SPL behind Rangers and Celtic. ''Saints'' also reached the final of the League Cup and the semi-finals of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,7–0 home defeat
, but ''Saints'' won 3–1 in the other game. Their finishing position in the league meant ''Saints'' had qualified for the 1999–00

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, cla ...

campaign. They started with a 3–1 aggregate win in the qualifying round over Finnish side

VPS Vaasa Vaasan Palloseura (or VPS) is a Finnish football club, based in Vaasa. It currently plays in the first tier of Finnish football (''Veikkausliiga''). The club's current manager is Jussi Nuorela. The club plays its home matches at Hietalahti. VP ...

, but were beaten 6–3 on aggregate by French giants AS Monaco in the first round proper. The return leg meant that international stars such as

Fabien Barthez Fabien Alain Barthez (born 28 June 1971) is a French racing driver and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he played football in both France and England with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester Unite ...

, John Arne Riise and David Trezeguet played at McDiarmid Park. St Johnstone remained unbeaten at home in European competitions until their tie against FC Minsk in 2013.

The new millennium

After a period of steady decline, the club were eventually relegated from the Premier League in 2002. Clark's replacement,

Billy Stark William Stark (born 1 December 1956) is a Scottish former football player and current coach. He made 500 league appearances in total, including successful spells at Aberdeen and Celtic. He then turned to management, which has seen him take ca ...

, oversaw this relegation, and left the club in 2004 after two seasons of varying success. With the club in eighth place after a poor 2004–05 season under Stark's replacement, John Connolly,

Owen Coyle Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Championship club Queen's Park. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made on ...

took charge in April 2005, ushering in a promising new period in which St Johnstone earned second-place finishes in 2005–06 and 2006–07. There was also cup success under Coyle. On 8 November 2006, St Johnstone beat

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

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 April 1971. It was also the first time the club 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. On 31 January 2007, ''Saints'' were knocked out of the League Cup at the semi-finals stage by Hibs. On 14 April 2007, St Johnstone were beaten 2–1 by Celtic at Hampden in the semi-finals of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Queen of the South, while table-toppers Gretna played out a goalless draw against the visiting Clyde, which put the Perth club just one point (and seven goals) behind Gretna. As a result, the First Division championship was to be decided on the final day of the season. Seven days later, St Johnstone were pipped to the First Division championship by Gretna, who had led the division for the majority of the season. ''Saints'' won 4–3 at Hamilton Academical, but James Grady scored an injury-time winner for Gretna at Ross County minutes after the St Johnstone game had finished. The results maintained Gretna's one-point lead and they achieved promotion to the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

under former ''Saints'' player

Davie Irons David John Irons (born 18 July 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former football player and coach. Irons' playing career spanned 26 years as a central defender or midfielder for a host of clubs, most notably for Ayr United, Clydebank, Dunfermline ...

. Owen Coyle left the club on 22 November 2007, to become manager of English club

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River ...

. ''Saints'' next game, the Challenge Cup Final against Dunfermline three days later, saw them win their first cup since the Scottish Consolation Cup of 1911, with a 3–2 victory. St Johnstone midfielder Derek McInnes was appointed as Coyle's replacement as manager on 27 November 2007, after Coyle's assistant, Sandy Stewart, who had been in charge in a caretaker-manager capacity for the Challenge Cup Final, decided to follow Coyle south to Burnley. McInnes began as a player-manager. Results to the end of 2007 continued the indifferent form shown under Coyle, leaving St Johnstone in third place, some way behind the leaders. In 2008 the club did, however, reach the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup for the second consecutive season, losing out to Rangers on penalties after extra time. It was the club's seventh appearance in the semi-finals, and their seventh defeat. On 2 May 2009, ''Saints'' beat Greenock Morton 3–1 at McDiarmid Park to clinch the First Division title and a return to the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

after a seven-year absence. They finished eighth in their first season back. In November 2011, on the same day the club announced the appointment of manager Steve Lomas, it was also announced that club chairman Geoff Brown, the longest-serving chairman in Scottish football, was retiring and therefore stepping down from his post. His son, Steve, was handed control of the club. In June 2013 Steve Lomas left the club to manage Millwall and Tommy Wright was appointed as his replacement. In his first competitive game in charge, Wright lead St Johnstone to a 1–0 victory against Rosenborg BK in Norway. This was the club's first away win in Europe in over 40 years.

The Golden Age: Tommy Wright, Callum Davidson and Cup glory

On 13 April 2014, St Johnstone reached their first-ever Scottish Cup Final, after defeating

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

2–1 in the semi-final at Ibrox Stadium."St Johnstone 2 – 1 Aberdeen"
– BBC Sport, 13 April 2014 They won the final against Tayside rivals Dundee United on 17 May, 2–0 at Celtic Park. The club won its second major cup seven years later, defeating Livingston 1–0 in the February 2021 Scottish League Cup Final. Shaun Rooney scored the only goal of the game. Later that season, St Johnstone won its second

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Hibernian 1–0, with Shaun Rooney again scoring the only goal of the game in the 32nd minute, the same time as his winner in the League Cup Final. This victory meant St Johnstone had become the first team outside of the

Old Firm The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply e ...

to win a cup double since

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

in 1990, and beating 10,000/1 odds to do so. St Johnstone also qualified for Europe for the sixth time in ten seasons, having only qualified twice before in their history.

European record

St Johnstone have qualified for the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

(formerly the UEFA Cup) on eight occasions. The furthest they have progressed is the third round, which occurred in 1971–72, their debut season in the tournament. ;Notes * 1R: First round * 2R: Second round * 3R: Third round * QR: Qualifying round * 1Q: First qualifying round * 2Q: Second qualifying round * 3Q: Third qualifying round

Local rivals

St Johnstone share a Tayside rivalry with both Dundee and Dundee United. It was against the former on New Year's Day 1997 that they recorded their biggest league win in recent memory, 7–2.

Players

Current squad

On loan

Notable players

For a list of all St Johnstone players with a Wikipedia article, see '' :St Johnstone F.C. players''. In October 2013, the club inducted the first five members to its "Hall of Fame" intended to formally recognise those who have made a significant contribution to the club. Those inducted were John Brogan, Joe Carr, Willie Coburn, Roddy Grant and Henry Hall. The inaugural event took place at a dinner ceremony at Perth Concert Hall.

Club staff

Directors

Source:

Coaching staff

Source:

Honours

League

Scottish second tier league titlesKnown as the Second Division prior to 1975. *Winners (7): 1923–24, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1982–83, 1989–90, 1996–97, 2008–09

Cup

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2013–14,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in exist ...

*Winners:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2007–08 B Division Supplementary Cup *Winners: 1948–49 Scottish Consolation Cup *Winners: 1910–11, 1913–14

Doubles

*Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Managerial history

St Johnstone has had 25 full-time managers in its history. The longest-serving manager was David Rutherford (11 years), although his tenure was interrupted by the Second World War. The club has, on average, appointed a new manager every four years.

Willie Ormond William Esplin Ormond (23 February 1927 – 4 May 1984) was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s and ...

and Bobby Brown both left "Saints" to manage the

Scotland national team The Scotland national football team gd, Sgioba Ball-coise Nàiseanta na h-Alba sco, Scotland National Fitbaa Team represents Scotland in men's international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. It competes in the thr ...

. * Peter Grant (1919–20) * James Buchan (1920–22) * David Taylor (1924–31) *

Tommy Muirhead Thomas Allan Muirhead (24 January 1897 – 27 May 1979) was a Scottish footballer who played for Hibernian, Rangers and Scotland. Playing career Hibernian and Rangers Muirhead, a forward who was occasionally deployed as a half-back, was signed ...

(1931–36) * David Rutherford (1936–47) *

Jimmy Crapnell James Scrymagour Crapnell (4 June 1903 – 24 December 1991) was a Scottish football player and manager. He played as a right back for Airdrieonians and Motherwell at club level, and represented both Scotland and the Scottish League XI. Career ...

(1947–53) *

Johnny Pattillo Johnny Pattillo (17 October 1914 – August 2002)Biography of J ...

(1953–58) * Bobby Brown (1958–67) *

Willie Ormond William Esplin Ormond (23 February 1927 – 4 May 1984) was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s and ...

(1967–73) * Jackie Stewart (1973–76) *

Jim Storrie James Storrie (31 March 1940 – 11 November 2014) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager, best known as a centre forward who helped Leeds United gain promotion in 1964 to the First Division. Playing career Born in Kirkintilloch, D ...

(1976–78) * Alex Stuart (1978–80) *

Alex Rennie Alexander Duncan Rennie (27 September 1948 – 4 March 2018) was a Scottish football player and manager who played as a defender. He played for St Johnstone between 1968 and 1975, making almost 200 league appearances, and later managed the club ...

(1980–85) * Ian Gibson (1985–87) * Alex Totten (1987–92) * John McClelland (1992–93) * Paul Sturrock (1 Aug 1993–5 Sep 1998) * Sandy Clark (7 Sep 1998–25 Sep 2001) *

Billy Stark William Stark (born 1 December 1956) is a Scottish former football player and current coach. He made 500 league appearances in total, including successful spells at Aberdeen and Celtic. He then turned to management, which has seen him take ca ...

(2001–04) * John Connolly (2004–05) *

Owen Coyle Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Championship club Queen's Park. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made on ...

(15 April 2005–21 Nov 2007) * Derek McInnes (27 Nov 2007–18 Oct 2011) * Steve Lomas (3 Nov 2011–6 Jun 2013) * Tommy Wright (10 Jun 2013–2 May 2020) * Callum Davidson (1 June 2020–present) Prior to Peter Grant's appointment in 1919, the team was picked by committee – a practice in wide use at the time.

Shirt sponsors

Below is a list of all of St Johnstone's shirt sponsors: Source
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Statistics

Records

Team

*Record home attendance: **Recreation Grounds: 12,000 vs Clydebank (

Division Two NCL Division Two The NCL or National Conference League Division Two (known as the Kingstone Press NCL Division Two) League winners {, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" , - , colspan=4 style="text-align:center;" , NCL DIVISION TWO , ...

, 14 April 1923) **Muirton Park: 29,972 vs Dundee (

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Dundee (

Premier Division Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of gov ...

, 23 May 1999) *Record win: 13–0 vs Tulloch (Perthshire Cup, 17 September 1887) *Record loss: 11–1 vs Montrose (

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

, 1 April 1893) *Longest unbeaten sequence: 21 league matches (2008–09) *Record transfer fee paid: £400,000 for Billy Dodds ( Dundee, 1994) *Record transfer fee received: £1,750,000 for Callum Davidson ( Blackburn Rovers, 1998)

Individual

*Most capped player: Nick Dasovic – 26 caps for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

while with the club *Record appearances:

Liam Craig Liam Craig (born 27 December 1986) is a Scottish former professional footballer. He is an attack-minded creative midfield player who operates on the left side of midfield or in a central position. He has played for Falkirk, St Johnstone and H ...

– 442 *Most goals: John Brogan – 140 *Most goals in one season: Jimmy Benson – 44 ( 1931–32) *Most goals in one game: Willie McIntosh – 6 (vs

Albion Rovers Albion Rovers Football Club is a semi-professional football team from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of the Scot ...

, League Cup, 9 March 1946)
Source

Average attendances

Past averages: * 2019–20: 4,091 * 2018–19: 3,938 * 2017–18: 3,809 * 2016–17: 4,392 * 2015–16: 3,880 * 2014–15: 4,522 * 2013–14: 3,806 *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

: 3,712 * 2011–12: 4,170 *

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

: 3,841 * 2009–10: 4,717 * 2008–09: 3,522 * 2007–08: 2,959 * 2006–07: 2,812 * 2005–06: 2,667 * 2004–05: 2,41
Source

References

External links

*
BBC Sport's St Johnstone page
: wit
fixturesresultsleague table
an
statistics

The ''Perthshire Advertisers St Johnstone page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Johnstone F.C. Football clubs in Scotland Sport in Perth, Scotland Companies based in Perth, Scotland Association football clubs established in 1884 Football clubs in Perth and Kinross Scottish Premier League teams 1884 establishments in Scotland Scottish Football League teams Scottish Challenge Cup winners Scottish Professional Football League teams Scottish Cup winners Scottish League Cup winners

History

Origins

1886 to 1972

Cup Competitions

Willie Ormond era

Relegations and rebuilding

Success in the 1990s

The new millennium

The Golden Age: Tommy Wright, Callum Davidson and Cup glory

European record

Local rivals

Players

Current squad

On loan

Notable players

Club staff

Directors

Coaching staff

Honours

League

Cup

Doubles

Managerial history

Shirt sponsors

Statistics

Records

Team

Individual

Average attendances

Further reading/bibliography

References

External links