THE STATS THAT SPELL TROUBLE FOR SAINTS
In the last six games, St Johnstone have picked up fewer Premiership points than any other team, winning just two from an available 18. Bottom side Ross County are next worst off with four points from their last six matches.
Saints haven’t won a match at McDiarmid Park since beating Hamilton 2-1 on September 23. In their last home game, they lost to a Partick Thistle side who hadn’t won away from home all season. It was the Perth club’s eighth home fixture without a victory.
Their next two matches are tough away fixtures. On Saturday, they face Hearts at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup, before heading to Celtic Park in the league a week on Sunday.
Saints are the lowest scorers in the Premiership with 22 goals from 24 matches. Ross County, by contrast, have scored 28 in 26 games. Earlier this season, they went 620 minutes without a goal. Veteran Steven MacLean is their top scorer in the league with five goals.
Normally a hard-working, well-disciplined team, Saints’ success has been built on doing the basics right. But on Tuesday night, they were clearly outfought by Motherwell after the break. Boss Tommy Wright said: ‘This game sums up our season in terms of the inconsistency between the first 45 minutes and the second 45 minutes. It’s nearly beyond belief how the players can go from what they did in the first half to what they did in the second. Basically, we’ve been like that since game five of the season. We’re in a scrap now and I hope the players are ready for it.’