No Davidson as Saints take on in-form Rangers

No better place than Ibrox to put to bed their recent inconsistent run

St Johnstone head to Ibrox this afternoon without key man Murray Davidson.

And Perth boss Tommy Wright has revealed that the midfielder may not be seen again until 2018.

“Murray has hurt his ankle and could be out for three or four weeks,” Wright reported.

“No doubt he will try and prove the medical team wrong but it is a blow for us. But we will have to deal with it.

“He is good in both boxes and gives us a physical presence. He had been finding a bit of form so it is disappointing for him.

“Michael O’Halloran can’t play against Rangers but Chris Millar and Denny Johnstone are both available after their sickness bug.”

Wright has seen signs that Johnstone may be about to prove his worth after his summer loan move and very little game-time at McDiarmid Park.

“Denny would have been involved against Aberdeen,” he said. “He had done well coming on at Hamilton. He was energetic, strong and held it up well. He showed a physical presence and a lot of quality.

“It has taken him time to adjust coming to a new club. But I have seen a big difference in him in training.

“It’s almost as if he has been putting down a marker and looking for his chance.

“I will freshen it up in a couple of positions after having a midweek game.”

St Johnstone are on the type of run that can infuriate a manager, lurching from being back to their best in one game to littering a match with defensive mistakes the next.

“We are all in it together here as manager, staff and players,” said Wright.

“As a group we all have to do better. And what better place than Ibrox to go to and put in a performance?

“I have no doubt we will get a reaction from the team. The motivation takes care of itself for a game like this. The adrenalin will be pumping, the energy will be there.

“I am looking for consistency from this squad. The competition is getting tougher but we haven’t played as consistently as we want and we have made it too easy at times for teams to score against us.

“When we have done well we have defended solidly and not given much away.

“We have to get back to getting the basics right on a regular basis. When we do that the pressure turns on the opposition.”

He added: “Rangers have quality players. That’s not in doubt. I couldn’t afford to bring them into my team. They brought a lot in over the summer and maybe it has taken time for them to settle.

“Kenny Millar coming back into the team has been a big thing for them but he might be missing with an injury.

“We played really well against them here but suffered from a harsh sending off. Anderson got two soft yellows from Don Robertson.

“So it surprises me that we have the same referee for the corresponding fixture. I think that’s rare.

“But first and foremost we have to look after our own performance.”

Meanwhile, midfielder Paul Paton is

hoping for another Ibrox day to remember.

“I have a mixed record there,” he said. “But winning a Scottish Cup semi-final (with Dundee United) against Rangers is one of my best memories in football. That was probably the best day of my career.

“I got man of the match that day and I remember Nadir Ciftci celebrating before he even put the ball in the net for the third.

“And with Saints we got a draw last season when Blair Alston scored our goal.

“We are coming off a bad result but going to places like Ibrox is why you want to play football. It’s a big stage, we are coming up to Christmas and there will be 50,000 there.

“We should be going under no pressure and looking forward to it.

“But it is only good to go to these places when you come away with a good result.

“When we are at our best we defend well as a team. We have to get back to that. We are making far too many mistakes.

“It’s frustrating that we have been up and down this season. It would daft for us to go and chase the game but on our day we can match anyone.

“We will go there confident we can pick up points. We won against Hibs at Easter Road and got a draw away to Celtic. That’s in our locker.”

Kenny Miller will sit out for Rangers after injuring his hamstring during Wednesday’s Easter Road win over Hibernian.

The veteran striker is now a major doubt for the team’s remaining fixtures of 2017 – including the December 30 clash at Celtic Park.

Graham Dorrans has also been ruled out for the next three months after undergoing ankle surgery, while skipper Lee Wallace (groin) and Jordan Rossiter (knee) also remain unavailable. However, Ryan Jack returns from suspension to face Saints.

Picture: PPA. Paul Paton has some great memories of visits to Ibrox and he wants to add to them with St Johnstone today.