Josh Fowler delivered a decisive first‑half brace that propelled St Johnstone to a 2-1 triumph over Hibernian, lifting the Saints above their rivals in the league standings. Fowler opened the scoring early, finding the net from close range after just 16 minutes, and later converted a penalty to restore the lead after Nathan Lowe had levelled for the visitors, securing St Johnstone's second victory of the season. Although Hibernian dominated much of the second half, manager Simo Valakari's side held firm to claim a 2-1 win that moved them into seventh place. Fowler, who had previously rescued a point by scoring a late equaliser off the bench against Dundee, fully justified his reinstatement to the starting eleven.
The opening goal came from the first genuine chance of the match. Hibs eased off Jason Holt, allowing the Perth captain to make a run into the 18‑yard area and lay the ball off to Taylor Steven. Steven’s low cross glanced off the heel of Adam Mayor and fell perfectly to Fowler at the back post, where he adjusted for the deflection and slotted a right‑footed finish past goalkeeper Raphael Sallinger.
Hibernian responded 13 minutes later when a wayward pass from Reece McAlear in midfield was intercepted by Miguel Chaiwa. The Stoke‑loaned forward sprinted forward and delivered a low shot that slipped between Toby Steward and the right‑hand post, equalising for the visitors. St Johnstone shrugged off the setback and reclaimed the lead just before the halftime whistle. Bosnian full‑back Enes Alic surged into the penalty area and was nudged over by Martin Boyle.
Fowler, already on a good scoring run, struck his fourth Premiership goal of the campaign, placing the ball in the bottom right corner and sending Sallinger the wrong way. The second half saw Fowler come close to completing a hat‑trick on two occasions before being substituted in the 72nd minute.
Despite his removal, Hibernian appeared the more threatening side for large periods of the half. Substitute Kanayo Megwa, who replaced the injured Grant Hanley, met a corner with a powerful header that forced Toby Steward into a spectacular one‑handed save on the goal line. To preserve the lead, Valakari introduced Matty Todd and reorganised the back line into a five‑man defence. The Saints weathered several frantic defensive moments, including a chance where substitute Thibault Klidje forced a good strike off his own marker Ante Suto.
Enes Alic later forced another save from Sallinger as St Johnstone threatened on the break. In the end, Valakari's side saw out the victory, consigning Hibernian to a second consecutive defeat.
The win was praised by St Johnstone manager Simo Valakari, who said, "It was a good win and an important win. I think we did everything across the 90 minutes. In the first half we played excellent football, progressing our passes and were very solid.
In the second half we showed the other side of our game – the grittiness and willingness to put our bodies on the line and block shots. Toby had to make a couple of big saves. Josh is proving he can score at this level; I have never doubted that, and he never doubts it himself. Strikers live for goals, and when you score you gain a huge boost in confidence." Hibernian boss David Gray was more measured in his assessment, noting, "The biggest thing for me is the manner in which the first half went for us – again.
It was summed up in the way we conceded the two goals: a lack of desire to stop someone advancing, gambling in the box, guessing in the box. Then a needless penalty we gave away. They were poor goals. But the players fought to the end and created a few chances.
I certainly can't sit here and say we deserved to win. Back‑to‑back defeats are tough to take, and understandably there will be criticism." The match also featured a reminder for viewers to use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player, and a promotional note about the Super 6 competition, offering a chance to win £1 million for free.