LOUIS MOULT, the Motherwell striker, admits he has been surprised and impressed by the standard of the Ladbrokes Premiership, even though he reckons it is on a par with the third tier of English football.

The 23-year-old former Stoke City man was one of three new strikers drafted in to Fir Park by Ian Baraclough, the club’s manager, after enjoying a fruitful spell at various clubs in the lower reaches down south following one game in the Premier League at the Britannia. Since coming north of the border, though, Moult has found goals hard to come by in a Motherwell team that, despite recording an opening day win against Inverness, has struggled to assert themselves fully in the three defeats which have followed.

Two substitute appearances and a two starts have seen the ex-Accrington man still to get his first goal for the club, who head to Perth this after to face a St Johnstone side yet to record a win. It will be a different standard of test from what Moult has come up against so far, having faced Inverness, Dundee United, Hearts and Aberdeen. It is a level he readily admits is above what he is used to, yet when asked how the Scottish top flight compares to England given what he has seen from three top six teams from last year as well as a rampant Tynecastle side, the forward was honest in his assessment.

“I noticed a difference in the pace of the game in Scotland from day one in training. The tempo was very high and it took me a week or two to adjust,” said Moult. “The teams we’ve come up against so far the quality has been fantastic. It’s a lot better than what I’m used to if I’m totally honest which is good to test myself.

“I’d probably say it’s similar to League One in England. I didn’t play much in the Premiership but I played in the Conference and League Two and during that time I played against a few League One sides. It would probably put it on a par with that, or the Championship.”

While the debate over the standard of the Premiership - and if sides such as Fleetwood, Crewe, Shrewsbury and Portvale are in fact an accurate comparison – is probably one for another day, this afternoon represents a vital chance, even this early on, to stop the rot for both teams. Baraclough spoke about wanting to halt a run of results ‘festering’ in his team, and it is something Tommy Wright, his St Johnstone counterpart, will be equally keen to do. Motherwell last season went out at the first hurdle in Europa League qualifying to Stjarnan and, in truth, never fully recovered. Comparisons can already be made at McDiarmid Park with the Perth club yet to win since Alashkert put them out on July 9. But Michael O’Halloran, the St Johntone forward, is not ready to panic just yet.

“I have made a good start personally but it has been tough for the team. Results haven’t been what we wanted,” he said. “Hopefully we can get that first win against Motherwell, although we know it won’t be easy.

“It has been a frustrating start to the season. There have been games we should have won. The goals we have lost have been uncharacteristic of us. We were so solid last season and we would grind out narrow wins. So it has not been an ideal start.

“But if we stiffen it up at the back we have already shown we have goals in the team.”