Four new signings that could be key

In the first of a series of launch articles, CRAIG CAIRNS looks at four of the summer signings that could be key to their new club’s season.

John Sutton

While many will have shrugged with indifference at the transfer of Sutton to St Johnstone, there may be good reason to believe he is exactly the type of striker for the way Tommy Wright’s style. The Perth side may have finished last season as the second-lowest scorers in the division, but 15 of the 34 goals that they did score came from crosses into the box – a further five were the result of corner kicks.

Of the five goals he scored from open play last season, Brian Graham was on the end of crosses for four of them. Sutton got his first for his new club on Sunday by nodding in a cross and with the attributes that he possess, he may just be the ideal player to replace, and perhaps even better, Graham’s nine goals from last season. Incidentally, Graham’s other four league goals came from the penalty spot and we know that Sutton will also be able to take on this mantle if required.

Ignoring his spell at Hearts, in which he still bettered a goal every three starts, Sutton has an impressive scoring rate in Scotland. He scored 67 goals over two spells with Motherwell (including 13 goals last season despite spending time omitted from the starting line up), scored in around 40% of his appearances for St Mirren and all after scoring in around half of his starts for both Raith Rovers and Dundee earlier in his career. In fact, all told – including as a substitute – Sutton has scored in 36% of his senior appearances in Scotland.

Paul Quinn

After testing nine different central defensive partnerships, and numerous experiments in the full-back positions, Ross County manager Jim McIntyre eventually settled upon a back four of Marcus Fraser, Paul Quinn, Scott Boyd and Jamie Reckord. Even though it took them, and the rest of the side, into this year to turn this continuity into results, Quinn was a standout performer throughout.

Known predominantly as a right-back from his previous spell in Scotland, Quinn took on the role of County captain after Richie Brittain found himself out of favour and marshalled the back four to safety as a centre-back. His performances were enough to encourage Derek McInnes to bring him to Aberdeen and add depth to an already impressive backline.

A different prospect awaits Quinn in at Pittodrie. He may initially have initially signed as cover for the centre-backs, as well as right-back Shay Logan, but the long-term injury to Mark Reynolds has required him to step in and lead the defence in his absence, perhaps a little sooner than expected. He has since been part of an Aberdeen backline that has recorded three clean sheets in its last five matches.

Another option would be for Andrew Considine to move into the centre and have another new signing, Graeme Shinnie, come in at left-back. This is how they set up for their home leg versus Macedonia side Shkëndija. However, McInnes may wish to keep Considine closer to the position he has excelled in previous seasons, while Shinnie appears to be favoured as a central midfielder.

Brian Graham

After his performance at St Johnstone last season, Brian Graham’s transfer to Ross County may not seem all that exciting. Liam Boyce and Craig Curran struck up a great partnership towards the end of last season, between them scoring over a third of their team’s goals since the turn of the year (Boyce with eight, Curran with five). However, much like the man replacing Graham at St Johnstone, he might just be the ideal man for his new manager’s style of play.

Almost half of Ross County’s 43 league goals since Jim McIntyre took charge in September have come from crosses, with a further six coming from corners. McIntyre is another who likes to play with wingers supported by full-backs, getting the ball to them as often as possible, and this is reflected in Michael Gardyne and Rafaelle De Vita’s contribution since the latter was brought to the club. In that time they have, between them, contributed to 72% of Ross County’s 25 goals – together with the full-backs they have contributed to 84% of those goals.

These players may welcome the addition of a more natural target man to the squad, although the obvious counter is to point to Graham’s lowly nine goals in all competitions last season. Ross County fans may be encouraged, however, given that they outscored St Johnstone by 12 goals last season, suggesting that Graham may just get the chance to convert more often for his new club.

Kallum Higginbotham

It may be argued that Gary Locke’s signing policy has been fairly unimaginative. While the likes of Scott Robinson, Stevie Smith and Jamie MacDonald may not exactly sell season tickets, Dale Carrick could prove to be a wise addition and the jury is out on whether or not Kris Boyd can be as prolific for the club as he was in his first two spells.

Perhaps the most interesting arrival at Rugby Park is Kallum Higginbotham. The mercurial forward may just plug the creative vacuum left by the departure of Alexei Eremenko. Although used mostly as a winger in recent years, Higginbotham is also adept at playing in a central attacking position. He started in this role on his competitive debut on Saturday, though may be shifted wide some point to accommodate a strike partner for Boyd.

That debut was a nightmare start for Higginbotham, though by no means solely his fault. Wherever he plays, he will be one of the players expected to carve out opportunities for the strikers – Higginbotham assisted a fifth of Partick Thistle’s goals between January and the end of the season.

Another area where he will replace Eremenko is on set-pieces. Locke’s side relied heavily on these to get goals last season – since his appointment nine of their 21 goals have come from corners or free kicks and five of those were delivered by Eremenko. Similarly, seven of Thistle’s goals since January have come from set-pieces and Higginbotham has supplied the deliveries for four of those.