THE sting of relegation is one that Melker Hallberg knows only too well, and the St Johnstone midfielder isn’t exactly keen to experience that feeling again.
Both he and his team are in danger of doing just that though, with their Premiership status now wholly contingent on coming through two games against Inverness Caledonian Thistle as the victors.
It all comes down to this for Callum Davidson’s side, who banked two cups last season, and now incredibly face two matches just to ensure that they remain in the top-flight.
The first of those matches is tomorrow night, when Hallberg and co will travel north for the first leg in the Highlands, before they welcome Inverness to McDiarmid Park on Monday evening. Come the final whistle, the former Hibernian man is determined that he won’t have that sinking feeling once again.
“Before I signed for Hibs, I was with a team in Denmark [Vejle BK],” Hallberg said.
“The Danish league is a little bit special, so it wasn’t exactly like this, but I’ve been through it yeah.
“We got relegated, unfortunately. There’s nothing worse in football than getting relegated. It’s super tough on you.
“But we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen and we don’t have those feelings on Monday.”
Is there a danger though that his confidence slips into complacency, and that a team no one expected to be in this position, can also come a cropper in a two-legged tie they themselves expect to win?
“I think we should be favourites but we know it’s going to be a tough game,” said Hallberg.
“We’ve watched videos of their games and Inverness are a good team. But we believe in ourselves and how we can play.
“I think personally that we’re a better team than one you would expect to see in the play-offs. But the table doesn’t lie and showing that on Friday and Monday is what matters now.
“We know this will be a tough game against a good team so we won’t be complacent. We’re going up there to win. But I think they’ll have a go as well. We’re going up there with the mindset to win the game like we do in every game.
“We know what’s at stake. But we’re confident that we’ll go up there and play as the manager wants us to. If we do that I believe we’ll get a good result to take into the second leg on Monday.
“It’s down to individuals how they deal with the pressure. Everyone needs to deal with it how they usually would. Pressure comes with the job and that’s something we’ve all had before.
“What matters is we’re ready on Friday.”
There may be a presumption that St Johnstone are heading into these play-off fixtures on something of a downer given the desperately disappointing campaign they have just endured, but Hallberg has been pleasantly surprised by the morale in the camp since he made the decision to join in January, when Saints were rock bottom of the division.
“I knew the situation I was coming into,” he said.
“I was coming back from a seven-month injury and I really needed to get back playing.
“When I spoke to the gaffer it felt like he really wanted me here. It’s been great for me and hopefully we can finish the job off and help this club stay in the league.
“When I came here the team had obviously been struggling and I thought heads would maybe be down and things like that. But that hasn’t been the case.
“The boys and the staff have taken me in and treated me very well.
“I’ve really enjoyed it and I’m doing my best for this club.”
