FOOTBALL purists look away now.

It transpires, you see, that for a team do well in Scottish football at any level, but we are talking about the Premiership here, the players need to be able to commit fouls.

The ability to control a ball and pass it is helpful; however, such is the nature of our game, getting in tackles and being physical is pretty damned important. A side which is not anywhere half-decent at the dark arts is going to struggle.

St Johnstone, the 2-1 victors at Rugby Park, are not a dirty team and both goals, the opener by David Wotherspoon and Michael O’Halloran’s excellent late winner, were fine examples of good football.

The difference at the weekend, and this is according to Kris Boyd and it’s hard to disagree with him, is that when a foul had to made the visitors were only happy to concede a free-kick and a booking.

For the two St Johnstone goals, no tackle worthy on the name was made on the attacking player.

“It wasn’t a surprise,” Boyd said when asked about the manner of the defeat. “St Johnstone grind down teams and punish you when they get an opportunity.

“I think it’s a reflection of where we are in terms of, to give an example, Jordan Jones turns on the halfway line, it’s one-v-one against the defender and Stefan Scougall pulls him back and takes the booking.

“O’Halloran picks up the ball in the corner, drives across our 18-yard box and nobody takes him down. I’m not saying you want to see fouls everywhere but you need a street-wise mentality.

“Sometimes you need commit fouls, get behind the ball and make it difficult for teams.

“It is a learning curve. However, if we can play as we did for spells on Saturday then we know we can hold our own in this league.

“But if there was ever time for a wake-up call then it’s Saturday. You need to be street-wise on the pitch.”

Rugby Park was hardly bursting at the seems on Saturday, which is surely a reason for Kilmarnock’s dreadful home record that stretches back a good few years now.

The players have been doing their bit away from the actual football. They have gotten boots on the ground in the town in an attempt to lure people back to the watch their team.

Good luck with that.

A stand behind one goal was shut, the other hosted a small band of St Johnstone fans. Season tickets are up all over the top league but not in Ayrshire.

“When I was here the first time we did a lot out in the community,” said Boyd whose fine free-kick brought his team level in the second-half.

“There is a lot of work being done in terms of injecting some positivism but it’s performances and results that count. We can go and chap doors and talk to people all day long but talk is cheap and if we don’t do it on the pitch then they ain’t going to come.”

Some of those who did make it along were not in a great mood.

They like a moan do the Kilmarnock supporters and Kirk Broadfoot got it all game.

The defender did not have his best afternoon but the constant personal abuse from his own support hardly helped.