Wright reply as Saints turn fortunes around

Losing 6-0 to Celtic on your own pitch, with the Hoops arguably taking their foot off the accelerator, can’t be dressed up as anything other than a humiliation.

Tommy Wright challenged his St Johnstone players to prove it was a humiliation that didn’t represent the talent he has in his dressing room.

And the response has been as emphatic as the result that inspired it.

That McDiarmid Park Sunday afternoon thrashing could be the making of this Saints team that has now won three games in succession and not conceded a single goal in doing so.

Midweek match-winner at Livingston Matty Kennedy, who also scored in the victory against St Mirren that preceded it, reflected: “We were all disappointed. The changing room after the game was not a great place to be. It was 6-0 - and we had also got beaten 5-1 by Rangers. We had five tough fixtures in a row, which did not go very well.

“But we have a group of players who are really close together and that’s showing on the pitch. The bond in the dressing-room is brilliant and hopefully the results keep coming. We have bounced back.”

When Wright signed Kennedy in the summer, Saints fans thought they were getting a throwback winger - and that was how it appeared in his first few appearances.

The former Kilmarnock man has been deployed more centrally of late and the results have been there for all to see – two goals in two games.

Kennedy added: “It’s good to get the goals for your team. I want to score as many as I can. I prefer playing higher up the park.”

Midweek match-winner: Matty Kennedy