Simo Valakari dedicates St Johnstone draw to Toby Steward after red card
The goalkeeper was sent off in the 14th minute against Kilmarnock after handling outside his area.
Simo Valakari dedicated St Johnstone’s battling 2-2 draw at Kilmarnock to red-carded goalkeeper Toby Steward.
The on-loan Portsmouth man was dismissed in the 14th minute after misjudging a long ball and handling outside his penalty box.
Saints then twice fell behind to Cathal McCarthy and Djenairo Daniels, but equalised both times with goals from Danny Schmidt and Joel Cotterill to capture an unlikely point.
Substitute goalkeeper Ross Sinclair also made multiple second-half saves to help Saints move up to seventh in the William Hill Premiership.
It was the fourth occasion Valakari’s team has had come from behind to earn a point this season, and the St Johnstone boss said: “Toby has held his hands up and said: ‘I am sorry, boys, for what I did.’
“But our team did it for Toby, the boys did it for Taylor (Steven), who I needed to take out straight away.
“We are all here playing for each other. We have got each other’s backs when things happen. That tells me my players are ready to accept any responsibility.
“Early red card, with Toby that’s my tactical choice. I ask my keeper to play very high, like a ‘sweeper keeper’ for those long balls.
“In those moments, for a year, Toby has been fantastic in clearing the ball, reading the ball. It’s a thin line, a little outside the box, that can happen.”
Valakari made his fifth and final substitution – Dan Finlayson for Bozo Mikulic – immediately after Cotterill’s 65th-minute equaliser.
German forward Schmidt then suffered an ankle injury but hobbled bravely on to complete the game and prevent Saints finishing with nine men.
Valakari said: “Because of my substitutions we didn’t have anyone left.
“When Danny played the last 20 minutes, he couldn’t move so we basically played two men short.
“If I had another sub, Danny would’ve come off, his ankle is in a horrible state. But he was there, still fighting with the centre-backs and doing anything he could for the team.”
The point saw Killie inch above Hibernian at the bottom of the table but that did not spare manager Neil McCann the fury of the home fans at the end.
McCann said: “The quality evaded us. We’re in a 2-1 lead and we concede from our set-piece – that’s not good enough against 10 men.
“It’s really painful because we do a lot of work on set-pieces. It feels like a defeat. Even though we’ve taken a point, it’s like we’ve thrown away two.
“I completely understand why the fans are angry because I am too. We had lots of control in the game but that Achilles heel of chucking up soft goals is something that’s plaguing us right now.”