The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Cutting edge will come for Saints, says winger
No goals but Perth men get past stubborn Fifers with penalty shoot-out victory
Drey Wright is confident his Saints team-mates will come up with a cutting edge to add to the passing game being championed by their manager.
The winger recruited from Colchester United earlier in the summer believes he is getting stronger with each successive game.
And he is sure that will also be the case with Tommy Wright’s squad, which is likely to be boosted with a couple of new additions before the league campaign starts next month.
The Premiership side hogged possession in this Betfred Cup opener but fell short in terms of testing Fifers keeper Brett Long, who was protected by a welldrilled defence en route to a scoreless draw.
While Perth players Liam Craig, Chris Kane, Tony Watt, Brian Alston and, crucially, Wright converted their penalties, after Craig Watson, Jonny Court, Pat Slattery and Ross Davidson tucked away theirs, former McDiarmid winger Craig Thomson was kept at bay by keeper Zander Clark, with the save grabbing a bonus point.
Latest arrival Watt and fit-again Kane both had glimpses of goal after coming off the bench for the closing half hour but Long didn’t have to perform heroics to preserve a clean sheet in front of just 1,687 fans.
Drey started on the right flank but was tempted to rove around looking for chinks in the League One side’s armoury.
He believes former Celtic striker Watt, who had a couple of headers scrambled clear, already has Perth players convinced he will be a welcome addition after seven months without a game.
“I think you saw when Tony came on that he’s a good player,” said Drey.
“He’s got a lot of quality. He’s a few weeks behind us in terms of match fitness but he holds the ball up well and he’s a finisher.
“Tony makes runs in behind the defence so he’s someone that when he gets match fit will be a big asset.
“I have been getting stronger with every game we have played so far and I will keep getting better.
“I felt I was out of the game a bit for spells on Saturday and I tried to go looking for the ball so I could cause problems.
“There is a lot more to come from me. I felt fit enough to complete the 90 minutes and ended the game well.
“The more games I play the better things will get, especially when I learn how the other players like to play.
“We are still in the stage of it being very early in the season and I’m building up those connections with people on the pitch.
“As a team we need more of a cutting edge but that will come with matches. I have really enjoyed it so far. We have a really good dressing room with a great bunch of lads. They have all been really welcoming and have helped me settle in straight away.”