St Johnstone are not hatchet men, Chris Kane tells Rangers boss, as the striker’s boots ‘kicked off the park’ claim into touch

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Chris Kane has refuted claims that St Johnstone’s supporters at Ibrox were hatchet men. The striker is certain that his club has nothing to answer for Philippe Clement’s assertion that his team was sent off the field during Wednesday’s 2-0 victory.

Clement took issue with Diallang Jaiyesimi’s challenge to John Lundstram, which resulted in an ordering-off. He also thought Dan Phillips’ attack of Kieran Dowell was a leg-breaker, even though no cards were sent out. Though Jaiyesimi was dismissed, Kane evaluated the play, stating: “It’s one of those where you take a touch, the ball gets away from you and you dive in.” They opted to send it to VAR, but I haven’t seen anything come back. DJ is not lucky today. He’s been doing fairly well. There wasn’t another poor tackle in the match other than that one.

With his focus now on tomorrow’s match against Kilmarnock, Kane feels more motivated than ever thanks to the new contract he inked right before the match at Ibrox. The hitman’s previous deal was scheduled to expire next month, but manager Craig Levein gave him an extension through the end of the season.

“While I was aware that my contract was set to expire in a few weeks, I wasn’t unduly concerned about it. It’s a busy time right now. I was confident that everything would work itself out as long as I maintained my fitness.

Due to Jaiyesimi’s suspension for the Rugby Park match, Kane may be able to earn a position in the starting lineup in Ayrshire. “I want to start as many games as I can, but Nicky (Clark), Stevie (May), and Luke (Jephcott) will also want to start,” he stated.

“The manager’s choice will be prepared to go.” I’m hoping for a start.