 Simão spent most of the following four years in the second level, the exception being the 1996–97 campaign with Salgueiros.In the 1998 summer he joined Scottish club St Johnstone, making his debut on 29 August in a 0–4 loss against Rangers at Ibrox Stadium, which proved to be manager Paul Sturrock's final game in charge; he played in 26 Premier League matches in his first year, netting four times.Three days shy of celebrating one year since playing his first game for the Saints, Simão scored two late goals as a substitute against Vaasan Palloseura in the UEFA Cup, in a playoff round 2–0 home win (3–1 on aggregate).