The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Wright proud of character shown by his Saints team
McDiarmid Park boss thrilled by recent form ahead of Hibs game
Three successive victories have brought St Johnstone back into contention for a top-six spot.
And manager Tommy Wright has been thrilled by the character shown by players bouncing back from last month’s 6-0 thrashing from Celtic.
Wins over Motherwell, St Mirren and surprise package Livingston have hauled the Perth side well clear of the drop zone.
And in-form Saints can leapfrog Neil Lennon’s fifth-placed Hibs with a win at Easter Road.
Wright’s track record has been impressive since taking over from predecessor Steve Lomas, missing out on a top-six finish just once.
The manager said: “I’m really pleased with how we have done since the start of the season, winning 10, losing five and drawing two.
“We have won five out of five against teams which might be in the bottom six, although that doesn’t take away the disappointment we felt during that recent four-game losing run.
“We have had a tremendous reaction from the players and this is among our best starts in my time here.
“The three wins have brought us closer to the teams at the top, where it is bunching up a bit now.
“But we can’t afford to get carried away and we now face a good Hibs team with so many attacking options. “This is a massive game for both clubs. “We have to show the same organisation and determination we had against Livingston but have to be better on the ball to give us more opportunities.”
Saints already have a 14-point advantage on bottom club Dundee and are 13 ahead of St Mirren.
Wright added: “We have opened up a substantial gap between ourselves and the bottom two or three sides. That is important at this stage.
“We have put ourselves in a really good position to try and kick on before the next break.”
Meanwhile, Saints keeper Zander Clark insists there was never any crisis talk in the Perth dressing-room after the Celtic defeat capped a miserable fourgame losing run against the top teams.
“There wasn’t much talk in the dressing room after that Celtic defeat. We just wanted it out of our system quickly,” he said.
“We knew we had come through a tough run of fixtures but we also knew our season wasn’t going to be defined on that one result.
“We had to bounce back quickly. “And we were aware there were opportunities to get more points on the board before the next international break.
“We have been more resolute and solid at the back and defending from the front.
“It was always said the group of players here had character and maybe some people thought we would suffer losing guys like Steven MacLean and Chris Millar over the summer.
“But the lads that have come in like Tony Watt, Matty Kennedy and Drey Wright have all shown they can stand up and be counted when the chips are down.”
Midfielder David Wotherspoon took a knock in the 1-0 win over Livingston but should feature along with Murray Davidson and Danny Swanson, who have shaken off a bug.
Injured pair Blair Alston and Steven Anderson are progressing but are unlikely to feature in the squad travelling to Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, Saints’ away match against Celtic has been moved to Wednesday January 30 (7.45pm) due to the Hoops’ involvement in the Betfred Cup final against Aberdeen on December 2.