Forward progress: Attacking options as well as strong defence boost Saints

St Johnstone assistant-manager Alex Cleland thinks the in-form side are benefiting from a defensive determination and a surplus of attacking options.

Having been with the club for nine years he has witnessed any number of impressive performances – and this one could be added to the list.

“We’re very pleased. We asked them to have a good start to the game and we certainly got that,” he said.

“We’ve picked up 15 points since Celtic so it’s a really good run we are on.”

“The competition for places is high at the moment and if we can keep that going then we’ll be delighted.

“Matty Kennedy is getting better and better, and he’s now added goals to his game. He can play many positions for us and his form at the moment is great. Hopefully he can keep it up.

“The first time Drey Wright got at Ziggy Gordon we got a goal off it. We do encourage our wide players to be positive and go at full-backs and get us crosses and get us goals.

“They’ve certainly added to that this season, going forward. Drey gives us good options, as well as Matty does, and we’ve got Danny Swanson to come back and Stefan Scougall can play there.

“We’ve got really good options in the wide areas, so competition is high.”

It was a fifth defeat in seven games for Hamilton, whose meek performance bemused manager Martin Canning.

He said: “I say it all the time, in this league the team that competes the hardest will usually win the game or give themselves a good chance of winning the game.

“But if one team is bang at it and the other is half a yard off it then that team will win the game, and that’s what’s happened.”

We do encourage our wide players to be positive and go at full-backs.

ALEX CLELAND