Newly-promoted St Johnstone block out summer "noise" to thrill fans with a goal-laden win over Kilmarnock on the Premiership opening weekend.

Simo Valakari's St Johnstone beat Kilmarnock 4-3 in an opening-weekend Premiership thriller That was the statement made by Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd before kick-off in Sunday's season opener for the Perth club and Kilmarnock. Ninety breathless minutes of football later, seven goals had been scored, the lead had changed hands twice and crucially, Simo Valakari's side had all three points. Was it a surprise? They were Scottish Championship winners at a canter, while Kilmarnock only scored twice in the League Cup group stage. However, Neil McCann's men also kept four clean sheets while the Saints had crashed out after a loss to Inverness and a draw with East Fife. So just how did these two sides produce what BBC Sportsound pundit Allan Preston hailed as "an early contender for game of the season"? Memories are short in football. Last season Valakari led his side to an immediate top-flight return, scoring 14 goals more than any other Championship team. Of the five top scorers in the league, three belonged to St Johnstone. But there was an indication pre-match the Finn would modify his style. "How we played last year was the best way to win the Championship... we do not want to be a naive, romantic team who plays nice football and loses matches," he told BBC Scotland. "We need to be solid and streetwise."