The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Daunting autumn for Saints
ST JOHNSTONE: Wright confident that Perth side will cope with tough schedule
Expectations from outside McDiarmid Park for St Johnstone over their next five fixtures will be pretty low.
But Perth boss Tommy Wright is ready for the challenge of a daunting early autumn.
Aberdeen, Celtic (twice), Rangers and Hearts will all be faced over the next few weeks and Wright has insisted Saints will meet the country’s big-hitters in league and cup “head on”.
“We have made a reasonably good start,” said the Northern Irishman. “The Killie game was the disappointment because we didn’t turn up for the second half.
“But we have bounced back really well since then and the players deserve a lot of credit.
“We have a tough run coming up but it’s one I’m looking forward to.
“In the next month we play all the top teams and I’d imagine most people will give us zero points and out of the cup.
“So, let’s bring it on and see what happens.”
Expectations from outside McDiarmid Park for St Johnstone over their next five fixtures will be pretty low.
But Perth boss Tommy Wright is ready for the challenge of a daunting early autumn.
Aberdeen, Celtic (twice), Rangers and Hearts will all be faced over the next few weeks and Wright has insisted Saints will meet the country’s big-hitters in league and cup “head on”.
“We have made a reasonably good start,”said the Northern Irishman.
“The Killie game was the disappointment because we didn’t turn up for the second half. But we have bounced back really well since then and the players deserve a lot of credit.
“We have a tough run coming up but it’s one I’m looking forward to.
“In the next month we play all the top teams and I’d imagine most people will give us zero points and out of the cup.
“So, let’s bring it on and see what happens.”
Wright added: “You want to play against the best teams. We have had spells in the past where we have done well against the better teams and we have had spells in the past where it hasn’t been so good.
“I always believe we can win every game we play, that won’t change. It’s a tough run, that’s for sure, but it’s one we’re ready to meet head on.”
Saints currently sit three places above tomorrow’s opponents in the Premiership table but Wright believes the Dons’ start has to be put in context.
“Aberdeen have lost key players from last season and have been hampered by a lot of injuries too,” he noted.
“They have been the second best team in the country for a while now so the expectation is there and people see them as a scalp.
“Derek has had a really bad injury list but he’s still got a strong squad and they will be one of the teams right up there come the end of the season.”
Meanwhile, Dons manager Derek McInnes needs no reminder of the qualities of Tony Watt as the Dons bid to stop the in-form Saints striker tomorrow.
Former Celtic forward Watt trained with the Dons at the end of last season and McInnes did consider offering him a deal.
McInnes is not surprised to see Watt make an impressive start following his move to McDiarmid Park and knows the Dons will have to watch the forward closely tomorrow.
He said: “It’s no surprise to see Tony doing well. He has always had the ability to score goals and we enjoyed having him up here with us for a while last season.
“We offered him training facilities and we thought long and hard about whether to try to do something.
“I’m pleased for Tony that he has got himself going again with St Johnstone and like every player it is important to be playing regularly and he is getting the benefit of that now.
“He’s got quality and I’m happy to see him playing well but we’re aware of his capabilities and of course we’ll be hoping to restrict his impact on the game this weekend.”
Watt has been the headline grabber for Saints so far but McInnes insists his former club is no one-man show with Wright’s other recruits settling quickly at McDiarmid Park.
He said: “St Johnstone are always a good opponent and they’ve got good options in the wide areas this season.”