How the Premiership split panned out for the bottom six

Cody Cooke's goals against Dundee proved to be fruitless, due to Hamilton's win. Pic: SNS

With the conclusion of yesterday’s fixtures, the bottom six teams in the Scottish Premiership have signed off for the regular season. Andy Harrow looks back on how the bottom six battle panned out for the teams involved and what’s next for each.

St Johnstone (7th)

Bottom six results: Two wins, two draws, one defeat.

The Perth side, despite the disappointment of missing out on the top half, go into the summer in a positive frame of mind. Despite defeat on the final day, they’ve finished six points better off than last season, all the while undergoing a transition from a largely functional unit to something more agile.

The loss of Drey Wright in November may have put paid to the ‘sexy St Johnstone’ moniker, but with Matty Kennedy and Tony Watt, Danny Swanson and Michael O’Halloran delivering fitfully, they were at least moderately alluring. Over the final few games, Tommy Wright has also managed to try out next season’s centre half pairing of Liam Gordon and Jason Kerr.

What’s next: Picking up a striker (or two) and a creative central midfielder in the transfer window would give them better options for the new season. Capturing an experienced back-up to centre half to help Kerr and Gordon would do no harm either.

Motherwell (8th)

Bottom six results: Two wins, two draws, one defeat.

In David Turnbull, Motherwell had the player of the bottom six, further emphasising his credentials as a legitimate star in the process. The 19-year-old’s six goals from five games helped Well to eight points from their fixtures.

The side’s performances over the last few weeks have been Motherwell (2019 edition) in microcosm; a reliance of young talent, a painful lack of goals from centre forwards, and a steady accumulation of points.

The style of play and the players used by Stephen Robinson over the opening half of the campaign failed badly, leaving Motherwell in a relegation battle and Robinson in danger of losing his job. But the emergence of youngsters like Turnbull, Jake Hastie and Gboly Ariyibi, and the improvement of Alex Gorrin alongside Allan Campbell, turned around a listing ship and offered hope for the future.

What’s next: How many players sign on for next season remains to be seen – Hastie has already signed for Rangers, Gorrin is attracting covetous glances from England and Ariyibi’s loan spell will end shortly – but the hope is Robinson now has a blueprint to work from.

Livingston (9th)

Bottom six results: Two draws, three defeats.

Livingston may have limped over the line – they’ve won only three times in 2019 and picked up only two points after the split – but it’s unfair to read too closely into those results given the foundations laid during the opening half of the campaign. After the Kenny Miller player-manager experiment was ended surprisingly – and, as it happened, fortuitously – early, Gary Holt took the team back to the approach that had won them promotion. And it worked; Livingston were effectively safe from the drop by Christmas – a blitzkrieg against Hearts in December saw them 19 points clear of the bottom two.

The second half of the season does raise concerns though. The defence, which had been the team’s biggest strength, shipped three goals five times (three of them after the split) and they’ve relied too heavily on goals from the centre halves and midfield. It’s something to work on, but it’s been a positive season overall.

What’s next: With Craig Halkett and Declan Gallagher going, re-upping the defensive unit looks like a priority. Signing Queen of the South’s Lyndon Dykes could be a smart bit of business further up the field, but they might need a bit more depth.

Hamilton (10th)

Bottom six results: