Bryson – Saints need to get the basics right

Craig Bryson had no problem with Callum Davidson’s blunt assessment of what needs to improve for St Johnstone. The veteran midfielder believes the Perth boss hit the nail on the head with his “hard work”, or rather the lack of it, postmotherwell dressing room critique.

And Wednesday night’s Premiership basement clash with Ross County provides the perfect opportunity to show that the players have taken the message on board.

Asked if his manager’s straightto-the-point Fir Park verdict was hard to stomach, Bryson said: “Not when it’s true. When you’re in the situation we’re in, you do have to work hard. You do have to put your body on the line – win first balls, second balls.

“We need to find a win somehow to get out of this run we’re on, even if it’s a scrappy 1-0.

“We all have to stick together. There’s a huge incentive for us on Wednesday that if we win, we go off the bottom of the league.

“We can’t keep looking at other results when we come in.

“We have to start finding a way of winning football matches.

“Hopefully that happens on Wednesday by doing the basics right.”

Bryson, for whom Saturday’s match was his 600th career appearance, added: “We had some half-decent spells in the game but obviously goals change it a fair bit.

“We got into some good positions but never really had anyone on the end of them.

“In the end Motherwell ran out quite comfortable winners.”

Davidson will be hoping Bryson and new signing Jacob Butterfield combine as effectively for Saints as they did with Derby County a few season ago.

“We’ve played together before in a slightly different formation,” said the former Kilmarnock and Aberdeen man.

“We both know what we’re doing in there but so do Liam (Craig) and Murray (Davidson).

“I think we’re OK in that area with the experience we’ve got.”

Nine league goals in 18 matches is an utterly miserable statistic and Saints didn’t come close to breaking the double figure barrier on Saturday.

“We need to have more belief,” said Bryson.

“I think we’re getting into some good areas. Maybe we’re not picking the right pass or the right cross.

“We’re going to have to find a way to change that because obviously if we’re not scoring goals we’re not winning games.

“The number of goals we’ve scored isn’t good enough.”

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou admitted there was no way he could have kept Kyogo Furuhashi off the Hampden pitch after the Japan forward brushed off an injury to win the Premier Sports Cup.

The Japan international had missed the previous two matches with a hamstring injury and Postecoglou had admitted the player and his medical staff were of different opinions on his comeback date.

Postecoglou, who lost David Turnbull to a hamstring injury in the first half, said of Furuhashi: “From the moment he picked up the injury, there was no way he was not going to play today, irrespective of what I was saying or the medical team were saying.

“He wasn’t 100%, but I knew he would play.

“Of course there was risk, there is risk in everything.

“There was probably a risk in putting Dave out there, who has played so many games.

“It’s not an exact science. Obviously there is more risk with somebody who is coming back from injury.

“But good luck for me trying to keep him out. There was no chance.

“He would have snuck on to the bus and snuck on to the field at some point without me seeing.

“He just had it in his head he was going to play. He wanted to help the players and help the team and he wanted to be part of this.

“Having worked in Japan, I know their mentality. They are a really strong culture in facing up to their responsibilities and I think he felt responsible to go out there and help the players.”

Hibs caretaker manager David Gray felt aggrieved over decisions from referee John Beaton.

Specifically, the decision to penalise Hanlon for an aerial challenge on Liel Abada which led to Rogic finding Furuhashi for the winner, and also the failure to award a late penalty when Carl Starfelt appeared to push Ryan Porteous.

“I thought we were good in the game and the boys gave me absolutely everything,” Gray said.