Boydy is barking upthestrongtree

ST J’STONE v PARTICK Wright hits back at Killie ace Kris for saying Saints are all muscle TONIGHT, 7.45

TOMMY WRIGHT admits he’s fast losing patience with his top-six St Johnstone regulars being tagged “streetwise” long-ball merchants.

Kilmarnock striker Kris Boyd labelled Saints specialists in doing “the dirty things in football” after his side went down to an opening-day 2-1 defeat.

The 33-year-old has nothing but admiration for the way in which the Perth side go about their business, urging his team-mates to learn off them.

But Wright insists Saints’ run of six straight top-six finishes is down to quality not pure physicality after classy strikes from David Wotherspoon and Michael O’Halloran at Rugby Park.

The Northern Irishman stressed he wasn’t taking a pop at Boyd but said: “Talking in general, it didn’t take long for the old stuff about being streetwise and all that to start again this season.

“It’s disappointing. We are more than just a hard-working side.

“We played very well on Saturday – we nullified Kilmarnock for long spells and scored two excellent goals.

“But what was the focus on? Us being labelled streetwise, giving away fouls and grinding out wins. We’re better than that, especially when you score two wonderful goals like we did.

“The emphasis was on how Michael should have been booted to stop him scoring but they couldn’t catch him to kick him!

“We have heard it all before, all the stuff about how we’re a big, strong team. But we’re probably the smallest team in the league height-wise – we don’t have many 6ft 2in giants.

“I just find it disappointing every time we win a game people put it down to us being streetwise. You have to have a bit of quality to win matches at this level but with us that gets overlooked.

“People categorise us as physical, long ball and all that stuff but it’s not true. We are worth more than what people say about us. “I have every right to stand up for my team and how they play because if people say something often enough it sticks. We had a

three in behind Graham Cummins of Stefan Scougall, David Wotherspoon and Blair Alston – all excellent footballers.

“People forget the quality we have and the good players we have.

“It’s a sad indictment for the rest of the league if we’ve managed to finish where we have over the last few years just from being streetwise.”

Midfielder Paul Paton is suspended for tonight’s Betfred Cup clash at home to Partick Thistle but Steven MacLean returns after sitting out on Saturday.

And the striker – who has been at McDiarmid Park for Saints’ last five top-six finishes – backed up his boss.

MacLean said: “It’s a different season but the same old banter. Maybe people will come up with something new one day.

“It’s a compliment to the gaffer and the boys I suppose but it’s funny when you see it pretty much every week. I don’t know about streetwise – it’s called winning football games in my book.

“We scored two cracking goals and last season we scored plenty and played some right good stuff.

“We aren’t a big side like some others, we just know how to win games. You can’t win just by playing well every week.

“Teams will have spells in games and it’s about staying in matches when you aren’t playing well and seeing them out.

“We have always been good at that and we work on being well drilled. Everyone knows their roles. That is what it is all about.”