DEL: FALKIRK GAME IS MY BIGGEST AS MANAGER

March is an important month for Saints and in terms of our main aim for the season – retention of our hard-won SPL status – arguably the key fixtures are the two matches in the space of eleven days against Falkirk who are currently bottom of the league.

Reversals for Derek McInnes’s men in these games – the first of which is at the Falkirk Stadium tomorrow afternoon – wouldn’t exactly constitute a disaster but there is no doubt that any extension of our current eight point lead over The Bairns would go a long way to helping towards our aim of a second season in the top division.

The Saints players took a sore one last Saturday with the late home defeat from Motherwell but as is the custom, that was quickly got out of the system on Monday and the week has been all about building towards the fulfilment of a fixture which was postponed on 2nd January – Scottish Cup exits for both sides has opened up the chance to play the game tomorrow, a day set aside for Scottish Cup ties.

Tomorrow heralds the start of a busy spell for Saints with away day Saturdays and home match Tuesdays on the menu for the next three successive weeks.

Falkirk, three points adrift at the foot of the table, have won only two of their last 11 SPL games - both against Aberdeen - and went down 3-1 at McDiarmid Park in October in a match which saw Collin Samuel, Chris Millar and Murray Davidson all on target.

Manager Derek McInnes goes as far as saying that tomorrow’s game is the biggest of his managerial career.

“In terms of my ambitions for this club, this is my biggest game. We want to do well in every game but there is no point in dressing things up – matches against sides in the lower half of the league are more important than the rest and in that respect that makes the game against the club who are bottom of the league vital.

“If we can come away from Falkirk with a positive result then we can approach the remainder of the season with confidence.”

Although not in the numbers which had travelled to the postponed game at New Year, the team will be backed by a bigger-than-normal travelling support tomorrow and that pleases the manager.

“It will take a joint effort tomorrow against a Falkirk side battling for survival but keen to do well for their new manager. The players have not let big travelling supports down in the past and we aim to continue that.”

TOMORROW’S GAME:

KICK OFF 3.00pm

GETTING TO THE GAME Tayside Safety Camera Partnership (TSCP) enforces the speed limit on roads in Tayside with a history of casualties and excessive speed.

When travelling to and from the game this weekend, supporters should remember that TSCP will be using fixed and mobile safety cameras to enforce the speed limits on the following roads:

A90 Kingsway A977 Kinross to Crook of Devon at Balado House A91 Milnathort to Devon Bridge at Dalqueich Crossroads and on other sites on the A9 and A90. Tayside Safety Camera Partnership would like to wish all supporters a safe journey.

ADMISSION Saints fans have until 5pm on Friday to take advantage of Falkirk’s ‘3 for 2 promotion’.

Anyone who buys two tickets for this game will get a third free of charge. Prices for the game are:

Adults - £20 Concessions - £13 (Over 65, Under 16, full-time students with matriculation card) Primary School children - £10 Under 5s – admitted free with a paying adult go on sale from this coming Thursday, 4th March

Tickets are available from the McDiarmid Park Ticket Office until 5pm today.

All supporters should note that tickets already purchased for the original fixture in January ARE VALID.

There will be a cash admission gate available on the day of the game but the ‘3 for 2’ offer only applies to tickets purchased in advance from McDiarmid Park.

REFEREE Stevie O’Reilly

CAN'T GET TO THE GAME? Live commentary of the game is available in the UK on the BBC Radio Scotland website.

The St Johnstone Official Website will have text commentary throughout the game.

BBC website Highlights of the latest games are available from 6pm on Sunday

Sky Sports 2 have a 30-minute SPL round-up highlights show at 6.30pm and 11.30pm on Monday with the best bits from the weekend and Sportscene on BBC1 on Monday at 11.35pm will have highlights of the weekend games in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

THE LAST TIME: This is our first trip to the Falkirk Stadium on SPL business. Brockville Stadium was the venue of our last top-flight encounter away to the Bairns and Harry Curran and Kevin McGowne were on target in a 2-2 draw.

17 April 1993 Falkirk 2 Saints 2 SAINTS: Rhodes, Byrne, Deas, Curran, McClelland, Cole, McGowne, Davies, Kinnaird, Buglione, Turner. Scorers: McGowne, Curran

FALKIRK: Westwater, McKenzie, Johnston, Shaw, Weir, Rice, McAllister, Lennox, Young, Sloan, May Scorers: Sloan, Young

THIS WEEKEND'S OTHER SPL GAMES: Hamilton v St Mirren Motherwell v Hearts