ANDERS SVENSSON was accorded the full pop star treatment and, desperate not to disappoint his legion of fans, the Swede turned in one of those virtuoso performances only he among the Saints squad is capable.

From the moment he produced an elegant back-heel in the first five minutes, it was evident Svensson was desperate to put on a show.

Hurt by questionable newspaper reports from Sweden suggesting he would like to leave Saints, the 26-year-old was full of running and looked determined to use the field of play to demonstrate his own commitment to the club.

In return, manager Gordon Strachan had little hesitation in asking that the captain's armband should be passed to Svensson when Matt Oakley came off after taking a knock midway through the second half.

The Swede's contribution last night will be remembered for two goals - a sumptuous top corner volley as well as a pinpoint header - but most encouraging was the ease with which he adapted to a new role.

Still without Marian Pahars and Agustin Delgado, Strachan kept Jo Tessem and Brett Ormerod on the bench as he experimented with Svensson in partnership with Beattie up front.

He looked to be fielding his best team and it is a fair assumption that Strachan has a more advanced role planned for the Swede in 2003/04, possibly playing off Beattie on a regular basis.

In international matches Svensson often plays in behind the front two, but last night he showed his versatility, albeit against relatively weak opposition, to play as a second striker.

This role naturally involved dropping deeper than Beattie, but his wonderful flicks and vision gave Saints their main cutting edge.

It was a match that gave Strachan two other big positives.

New signing Fitz Hall apparently acquitted himself well last week in training at St Andrews, and with Claus Lundekvam being rested following minor keyhole surgery on a stomach problem last week, he made his first appearance in a Saints shirt after just ten minutes when Paul Williams limped off.

Hall has arrived with rare reviews from Oldham and already looks a massive bargain at just £250,000.

He has a certain elegance to his play, looked dominant in the air and showed the class that convinced his former manager Iain Dowie he can one day play for England.

It was Hall that split the Jonkoping defence to create Saints' third and Svensson's second with a precise 50-yard through-ball.

The other obvious positive was David Prutton, who was also on target twice for Saints.

Even with the addition of Graeme Le Saux, only a handful of injuries could make the left flank a problem position for Saints next season without Wayne Bridge.

But Prutton demonstrated his adaptability to give an influential performance in left midfield.

Elsewhere, it was largely as you were from much of the team.

Matt Oakley was again effective sitting deep spraying the ball around the midfield, Michael Svensson was strong in defence while Paul Telfer and Fabrice Fernandes continued to use their contrasting talents to great effect down the right.

But no-one could really deflect the shine from Saints' major star in Sweden.

The next performance of the Anders Svensson show is Saturday against Varnamo, and it will be fascinating to see if Strachan persists in giving him that forward role.