Foster is gunning for Celts’ record
Richard Foster insists this St Johnstone squad never write themselves off.
And that mentality will remain throughout this week as the Perth club attempt to inflict a first defeat of the season on Celtic on Saturday.
The McDiarmid full-back helped Saints to a clean sheet and victory against second-top Aberdeen at the weekend.
Now he wants to stun Scottish football with another top six win.
“It’s tough going to Parkhead to face Celtic who are still unbeaten this season,”Foster said. “They were on fire for the first half of what I saw on Saturday.
“It’ll be tough to get any points from that game but it was tough to get any points at Pittodrie. We never write ourselves off.
“Any points against Celtic, especially this season, would be a bonus. The pace they play at, they get forward so quickly. They have unbelievable ability in the forward areas.
“If they play like that it will be tough to get anything. But you never know, they might have an off day and we might be able to dig out a result.
“Finishing fourth would be a massive achievement. Right now staying in fourth is the aim and to secure that place as soon as possible.
“We know where our qualities lie and we know we are a great defensive unit. There are guys who are six, seven and eights out of 10 every week without being brilliant.
“We are very difficult to beat and play against. When the chances do come up, we tend to
given rest when they need it because we need to maximise what we get from the team. I also think that our lads like being underdogs and on the size of the clubs we’re underdogs in most of these top six matches.
“They enjoy being in that position and I think it brings out the best in them.”
Wright doesn’t buy into any moans that the season is a long one and he says managing the players correctly keeps them fresh.
“If you are weak and you allow players to make excuses then they’ll take it,”he told the PA.
“So it being a long season doesn’t wash with me, there are tougher jobs than being a football player.
“What we do recognise is they need to rest, we monitor them and decide when they need to lay off a bit.
“For me, that’s a big part of management. You have to sense when to do it – and you don’t need a laptop to do it either.
“It’s about knowing your players and knowing how to get the best out of them. We use the sports science but in the end it comes down to my eyes, Callum’s eyes and Alec’s eyes.
“My eyesight is still pretty good, I know by looking at them when the lads need worked and when they need to rest.
“We back it up by the science but ultimately it’s down to what we see and pick up from being in around them.
“There’s a trust here, I trust the players and they trust us. The other week, with the Scottish Cup semi-finals, other clubs were in but we gave ours five days off.
“They get work to do at home but I trust them, I know they’ll do it because they’re all good professionals.
“And what did they do? They come in for the next game against Aberdeen, who turned them over in the last game before the break, and they beat them.
“They are a great group of lads and trust is a massive thing here.”