The Perth side have won the most games, lost the fewest, scored the most goals and conceded the fewest. They are by every metric worthy champions.
After the 2-0 victory over Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park on Tuesday, the party went on into the wee small hours back at McDiarmid Park, with many of the players spotted at the The Perth Festival horse racing the next day – and who can blame them?
The Championship is a gruelling, nerve-shredding division and it was completely understandable that, after such a long and arduous campaign, the squad chose to enjoy the moment.
The obvious question is what sort of St Johnstone turn up as they look to extend their 10-game unbeaten run and win a fourth on the trot?
With friends and family all in attendance, they will want to mark the occasion with a positive result. But will there be the same intensity given the release of all that emotion and tension – and the sheer elation that even spilled over into the Sportscene studio on Tuesday as jubilant players gatecrashed the post-match interviews?
And what about the visiting Rovers, who had their four-game winning run ended on Saturday as they lost away to third-top Arbroath?
Dougie Imrie’s side still have plenty to play for. Okay, their chances of making the promotion play-offs look slim – but they are also still within grasp.
They are five points behind Dunfermline, who currently occupy fourth spot, both sides with two games left to play.
It would take a major swing for Rovers to leapfrog their Fife rivals – especially since the Pars have a better, if not completely insurmountable, goal-difference advantage – but for now it is not beyond the realms of possibility.
However, they have yet to beat St Johnstone in their four previous meetings this season – failing to find the net in the latest three.
A 3-1 League Cup defeat in Perth was followed by a 2-0 loss in the league in Kirkcaldy, but at least they took something from the latest two thanks to goalless draws in their last visit to McDiarmid Park in December and at home in February.
A summer squad revamp looks likely at Stark’s Park, with Imrie frustrated by inconsistency.
However, the equation is simple – they need two wins from their last two games, while a defeat would hand the final promotion play-off place to Dunfermline.
Which should all add up to an entertaining evening for the neutrals tuning into what will otherwise be a night of crowning glory for St Johnstone.
