Dundee Stars head coach asks fans and sponsors to step up

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright and his players will be phoning up season ticket holders to help them through the coronavirus crisis and the football hiatus, writes Eric Nicolson.

The Perth boss will be offering the club’s services to help elderly supporters in particular during a shutdown that could last for several months.

Wright, who said Saints will be “raring to go” when the ball comes back out in the SPFL, said: “While football remains suspended, myself, my staff and the players will be phoning around our elderly season ticket holders for a quick chat and to see if there is anything that the club can do to assist.

“Once we have called our elderly supporters, we will do our best to phone round as many season ticket holders as possible for as long as this break from football continues.

“So, if you receive a phone call from myself, one of the staff or the players, it isn’t a hoax!”

Wright added: “It’s important to look out for your family members, friends and neighbours.

“These are unprecedented times for this country and indeed the world, and we need to check in on those who are most vulnerable.

“We need to try and stay positive, follow government guidelines, and hopefully the situation will improve quickly.

“We’re all dealing with the uncertainty at the moment but hopefully everything can return to normal as soon as possible.

“I’ve seen myself first-hand the situation in supermarkets with empty shelves and I’d like to ask everybody to remain sensible when it comes to shopping.

“My brother works in the retail industry and he has assured me that there is more than enough food for everyone as long as people don’t stockpile food and buy more than they need.

“It’s the most vulnerable people at this time who suffer most from empty supermarket shelves.”

Meanwhile, Wright admitted that decisions about the future direction of Scottish football are “entirely out of our control”.

He said: “I’m sure the footballing authorities will be working extremely hard during these testing times.”