The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Davidson on the mend after ankle operation
Saints: Midfielder will make Europa qualifiers – if Saints nail down fourth
St Johnstone midfielder Murray Davidson has had an ankle operation, ending his season.
But Tommy Wright has stressed that there is no concern about him being fit for the Europa League qualifiers should the Perth club secure fourth place in the Premiership.
“Murray had his minor ankle op today,” the Saints boss reported. “He was in and out in the day.
“We knew it was to happen at the end of the season after he rolled his ankle in training we knew he wouldn’t be available for the last three games so we brought the surgery forward.
“He will be back in four weeks so he will be fine for Europe if we get there.”
Depending on how Hearts get on against Rangers in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, Saints may just be one result against Partick Thistle away from sealing their European spot.
Davidson is not the only absentee for their McDiarmid Park match.
“Ando (Steven Anderson) is suspended,” Wright said. “Chris Millar has been training and Michael Coulson has also trained. They might be doubtful for the weekend but it is a bonus that they are even in contention for the final matches of the season. In my mind I had ruled them out. It will be good to have them available with Danny Swanson and David Wotherspoon suspended for the Rangers game.
“We are probably the thinnest we have been all season with injuries and suspensions. But this squad has handled it before and it shows the importance of having depth. Chris Kane got a run against Celtic and has had another full week’s training.
“Our aim is to get into Europe and to try and get it done and dusted against Thistle. We are guaranteed fifth place which is a tremendous achievement. But we are in fourth and we want to hold on to it. We want European football.
“With Hearts playing Rangers before we kick-off we will have a clear picture of what is required.
“If Hearts were to drop points we could seal it with a victory against Partick.
“So this is a massive game for us against a side which has done well getting into the top six for the first time.”
Awards season hasn’t brought any recognition for Saints, with Wright observing: “We have been slightly overlooked again but we have been outstanding in what has been a tougher league.
“If we can get fourth place I think it will be the best season we have had in my time here. I know we have finished third before but this would rate as our biggest achievement in a long, long time.”
Saints and Thistle have both done better away from home in this fixture.
Wright said: “Alan (Archibald) will probably say his team didn’t play well at home in the two games we won but I know we didn’t perform well in the league or the cup here.
“We were poor in those home games and I’m not expecting that to be the case this weekend. The players shouldn’t need any motivation for this one. It can’t come quick enough.
“We work towards getting top six then take it from there. We try to have something to play for after the split. It can mean extra revenue for the club and the players get rewarded as well.
“Our players still have focus and Europe is the target and the prize for us.”