Manager remains upbeat after Dens Park defeat

Saints manager Tommy Wright rued defensive errors during last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Dundee at Dens Park, but remained upbeat and took some positives out of the game against the club’s Tayside rivals.

A late goal by Sofien Moussa denied Saints a share of the spoils after Steven MacLean had equalised with just five minutes remaining. Tommy felt that the late winner, which left his side with nothing, didn’t reflect fairly on his players’ performances.

“I definitely felt like our overall play deserved something out of the game,” Tommy said, “it was two defensive errors that have cost us and have meant we came away with nothing.

“It was just one mistake at the very beginning and one right at the death when we had just managed to grab a well-deserved equaliser. I felt like we controlled large parts of the match and played some neat stuff at times.

“The result was obviously disappointing for us but I still feel we can take some positives from Saturday into our final four games.

“I thought Jason Kerr had another outstanding game for us in defence, and I was also impressed by Matty Willock’s contribution. I think George Williams and Steven MacLean played well together in attack too.

“Young Jordan Robertson came off the bench to make his debut for the club aged 16, so that was another positive and it was also great to have Stefan Scougall back on the pitch after several months out.”

Scougall’s arrival to the action as a late substitute at Dens Park on Saturday might have come as a surprise to many, with the midfielder looking like his season was over when he was injured back in February.

“We obviously weren’t sure if he’d play again this season,” added Tommy, “but he recovered quicker than anticipated. He actually only had one full training session under his belt prior to Saturday but I felt it was worth the gamble to put him on the bench.

“We threw him on at the end and I thought he did well. He managed to get some more game time under his belt last night with the U20s too.”

Last night’s U20s match also saw two more players return to action after lengthy injuries, news that has been welcomed by the manager.

“David McMillan and Callum Hendry also played last night so it was great to have them back getting some match practice too. They’ll be included in the U20s squad again on Thursday and hopefully they’ll increase their playing time and get more minutes.

“This weekend is probably too soon for them to be included in the first-team squad but we’ll see where they are by the end of the week and access them. I think next week is a more realistic time to get them back in the fold.”

This weekend’s opponents, Partick Thistle, come to McDiarmid Park involved in a relegation scrap. The visitors were a top six side last year just like Saints, yet despite picking up three wins from four against Tommy Wright’s men this season they are just one point ahead of bottom side Ross County.

Saints' only points against Alan Archibald’s side this season came in the third league match of the campaign – a 1-0 victory at McDiarmid Park back in August. And the manager admits he has been quite surprised by how the Firhill side has fared this campaign.

“They have a good manager and a decent squad and I don’t think many people would have expected them to be where they are at the moment. They recruited well in the summer and probably would have been expecting to be challenging to be in or around the top six again this season.

“I think it actually puts into perspective what we’ve done over the past few seasons. It shows how difficult it is to maintain the consistency over so many years, which makes what we’ve achieved all the more impressive.

“We’re going into the game looking to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat and I’m determined to ensure that the season doesn’t just fizzle out for us. We don’t want to be limping over the line and I want us to kick on in the final four games and finish the season strongly.”