Wright: We’ll go all out to secure fourth and put pressure on Gers
Tommy knew Saturday’s incident between Swanson and Foster wouldn’t affect the squad Tommy Wright insists St Johnstone will not be taking their foot off the gas after opening up a five-point lead over Hearts.
The Perth club secured a crucial 1-0 victory against the Jambos at McDiarmid Park on Wednesday to push clear in fourth place.
Thoughts surrounding the possibility of more European football may well be returning but boss Wright’s sole focus will be in the Highlands this weekend.
Saints make the journey up the A9 to face-off against an Inverness side who are currently rooted to the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.
The Perth squad will not be taking that for granted, however, and Wright said: “Inverness is a tough place to go, we know that because they have beaten us there this season. They have had a lot of draws and are difficult to beat.
“We can’t relax with a five point gap on Hearts and the flip side of that is that you can’t rule out putting pressure on Rangers with a good run because they are now only six points ahead of us. We want to try and close that gap.
“What we are contemplating right now is securing fourth place and hopefully by getting the points that takes us closer to Rangers for the run-in.
“That might put them under pressure but we have to go and perform again in another game at Inverness which is huge for both clubs, for different reasons.
“The biggest thing for us is that we are at the right end of the table and we still have a lot to play for, either third or fourth place could be there for us. That is really pleasing.
“Every win is vital because every three points makes it much more difficult for Hearts to catch us. That is our immediate focus and I suppose by doing that we are trying to get closer to Rangers.
“Looking at the bottom six I am glad we aren’t in there. It will be exciting for fans but not managers and players at those clubs because it is just so tight down there.”
Meanwhile, the investigation into the Danny Swanson and Richard Foster bust-up incident at Hamilton was set to
be concluded yesterday, after the Perthshire Advertiser had gone to press.
It’s understood that the players were to meet with Perth directors before a statement was to be released by the club.
Earlier in the day manager Wright, who always knew the incident wouldn’t affect the performance on Wednesday, said: “The investigation has taken place and the next stage is a disciplinary meeting with the players.
“The club will then make a statement and that will draw a line under it officially.
“There’s no doubt it was a difficult weekend for us but once we came back into work on Monday as a squad we had already moved on from the weekend events at Hamilton.
“The important thing was that we prepared for Hearts and now we are preparing for Inverness. It has had no bearing on how we are functioning as a club.
“It hasn’t disrupted our match preparations and you could see that in the manner of the performance against Hearts. The other players haven’t let it affect them.
“I know my players, I am in the dressing room and I knew how they would react positively to Saturday’s events.
“I have spoken to both players and there is no problem between them. They made up after the game. This won’t linger or fester.
“Mistakes have been made and the lads know that so we can’t and won’t forget the incident happened.
“We weren’t just missing Danny and Richard - Murray Davidson, Steven Anderson, Chris Kane and Keith Watson were all missing as well.
“That tells you it is all about our squad, no matter whether players are missing because of suspension or injuries. We go out and try to do the best with what we’ve got.
“I know Hearts thought it might have weakened us and rightly so. I might have looked on another team in the same way. But there was no negativity within our squad.
“It was always going to be massive game and the players responded magnificently. We totally dominated the game after the first 15 or 20 minutes and were on the front foot against a Hearts side littered with individual talent.”
After missing the win on Wednesday, Swanson and Foster will both remain out of action this weekend. The Perth squad came through the triumph unscathed, Wright confirmed.
He told the Perthshire Advertiser: “We have no fresh injuries to concern us and Danny Swanson and Richard Foster will finish off their suspensions on Saturday.
“Steven Anderson did some light training on Tuesday and we thought he might have had a chance. We will assess him again.
“Murray Davidson’s back stiffened up after a knock he took at Hamilton. Hopefully he will be available but he was in a bit of pain so he will also be assessed as well.
“Chris Kane is looking at another three weeks out.”