WE’VE SHOWN OUR TRUE GRIT Drey has last laugh as Saints eye top 6
Firstpro titlefor snooker aceScott
Callum Hendry wheels away to celebrate grabbing the headlines once again as St Johnstone kept up a remarkable run of Premiership form.
The young striker netted with six minutes remaining to secure a vital
1-0 win against Livingston at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.
Manager Tommy Wright is backing Hendry to continue his heroics and help fire Saints into the top six.
“It was a great cross from
Drey Wright and a great finish,” the Perth boss said.
“Callum took his goal well. He is a good lad but still has a lot of hard work ahead of him.
“It is important he keeps at it and looks to improve.”
Match report – Pages 38 & 39
Drey Wright admits the situation was a bleak one earlier in the season.
But the winger insists you can never write St Johnstone off as the Perth men remarkably edge closer to the top six.
Turn the clock back towards the end of October and Saints had failed to win any of their nine league games, sitting rooted to the bottom.
But now only one point separates them from sixth-placed Hibernian, who provide the opposition in Edinburgh this Saturday.
Wright knows Saints have often been written off in the past and said: “I’ve heard stories and people talking about it.
“But it’s the character of the club which stems from the manager and the dressing room.
“Even when we were down towards the bottom of the table and things were not going right, we always believed in ourselves.
“Thankfully we are in a good bit of form at the moment and hopefully that can continue.
“Around October/November time it was looking very bleak for us. We didn’t win a game in our first nine matches.
“The turnaround has been brilliant. The top six seemed a long way away but now we’re just a point outside.
“We have got everything to play for and nothing to fear going into the last few games.”
Saints’ top-six challenge was boosted with a late win against Livingston on Saturday.
Wright, who labelled his own performance as one of his worst, provided an unbelievable assist for Callum Hendry’s 84th- finish.
minute He said: “Conditions were not great. It was really windy and it was wet out there. Coming up against Livingston’s style of play, we knew we would need to be up for the game and match their physicality.
“It was very hard to get the ball down. But the boys stuck to it.
“Livingston had a lot of set pieces and long throws, but our back three were brilliant and dealt with everything.
“We did not give many chances away. They had one in the first half but apart from that we kept them very quiet.
“In the end we have managed to nick the goal.
“I was trying all sorts on Saturday and it was just not working out. “That is not
important at the end of the day. “What is important was gaining ground on teams above us.
“Results went our way so we’re looking forward to this week.
“I was starting to get back to the levels I know I can reach in recent weeks. But there were no goals or assists to show for it.
“Saturday was probably one of my worst performances ever, but I come away with an assist for the winner.
“You personally want to play well, but as long as we pick up the three points.
“We have closed the gap and given ourselves a real chance of top six.”
Wright was delighted to set up match-winner Hendry, who continued his rich vein of form in front of goal.
“We know what Callum is like and if you put a ball into an area he will probably end up scoring with it,” Wright said.
“At the start of the season he was coming off the bench and winning points at valuable times.
“Now he is doing it from the start and that is brilliant to see.”
Last week’s Saints Lotto numbers were 2, 19, 23 and 28. One lucky winner scooped the jackpot.
Perth snooker star Scott Donaldson has landed his first professional title – and labelled the feeling ‘absolutely phenomenal’. Donaldson defeated Graeme Dott 3-0 in the BetVictor Championship League final, held at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
And now he has banked a place in November’s Champion of Champions event, in addition to his cash winnings from the tournament.
The Fair City cueman needed to beat Neil Robertson in his final group game in what was a straight shootout for a place in the last four – and he did, 3-1.
He then defeated Judd Trump 3-1 in his semi-final after the reigning world champion had earlier become the first player to complete the winners’ group round-robin league phase undefeated in his six matches.
A 60 break in the opening frame of the best-of-five final set Donaldson on his way and while Dott had chances in both the second and third frames, it was the world No. 24 who prevailed in both for a 3-0 success.
“It is absolutely phenomenal to win my first professional title, I was wondering when it was going to come,” said 25-year-old Donaldson.
“I made a good break in the first frame and nicked the second on the colours.
“I made two good pressure clearances to win the last couple of frames which was amazing.
“Now I know I can win tournaments. It is a mindset thing more than anything else – I know how well I can play, I just need to tighten up with my cue ball control.
“The turning point was when I beat Neil in the groups because if I didn’t I was out.
“I knew what I needed to do and how I had to play against Neil and then Judd. It set me up brilliantly for the final playing them back-to-back.
“I was full of confidence, hit the ball well and played some good stuff. The Champion of Champions is such a great event to be in, I am really looking forward to it.”