Valakari embracing life in Championship as he plots top-flight return

Simo Valakari says St Johnstone will embrace life in the Championship as he plots a return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

The Perth club were relegated, ending a 15-year run in the Premiership, after finishing bottom of the table last season.

And while Valakari, who took over from Craig Levein in October, is aware of how tough and unforgiving the second tier can be, he is aiming to put “all the little things” in place to give his side the best chance of an instant return.

As St Johnstone players returned for pre-season this week, he said: “It’s good to be back with the players, during the off-season you work behind the scenes on different things and reflecting on the season previous.

“We look at the experience we got from that and how we can improve going forward, and working with recruitment, but you can’t beat this feeling being back with the players.

“We are all looking forward now, we have reflected very brutally and honestly on last season and what we could have and should have done better.

“Now it is about life in the Championship, and we are very eager to get going and very excited to be here.

“We know how tough a league it is, but that is where we are now, and we want to take the club back to the Premiership; that is our aim.

“We want to rebuild and make the club stronger. Wherever that takes us, you never know, it is a long season, and to win promotion and win the title, we will need all the little things to go our way.

“So it is too early to say for sure that we are going to do this or going to do that, all we can do is focus on one day at a time and make the best for ourselves, and then maybe we have a chance.”

The Saints get their competitive season under way against East Kilbride in the group stages of the League Cup on July 12. They will also play Raith Rovers, Elgin City, and Inverness Caley Thistle in that competition, before beginning their Championship campaign with a home game against Partick Thistle on August 2.