Wright demands improved displays
Tommy Wright has urged his St Johnstone side to become 90-minute men when they take on Kilmarnock at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.
The Perth club have lost their last four Premiership games and sit ninth in the table with nine points from nine games.
Ironically, it was in their 1-0 League Cup win over Killie at Rugby Park amid that poor run of form that the Saints boss got what he is looking for from his players, and he wants a repeat against the Ayrshire men in their league tussle.
"We need to get back to 90-minute performances, not 45, not 60, not 70," the Northern Irishman told Press Association Sport.
"That doesn't necessarily mean playing decent football for 90 minutes.
"It means that when you are under pressure you have to defend right and it means when you are on top, you take your chances.
"It is simple as that and we probably haven't done that in as many games as we would have liked.
"Kilmarnock away is probably as close as we have got because when we were under pressure we defended really well, got the clean sheet and got the goal.
"I am looking for an improvement from everybody.
"They all realise we can do better, that they are good players and a good team, but they are in one of those little runs at the minute that only ourselves can get out of.
"They are hurting and disappointed that we have lost the last four and that is the way it should be."
Allan Johnston's Killie bounced back from the cup defeat to St Johnstone with home wins over Partick Thistle and Dundee United, which has impressed Wright.
"I think Kilmarnock has been excellent," he said.
"They have added physicality and pace to their team and they have looked stronger defensively.
"It is going to be a difficult game but we have already proved that we can beat them and I see no reason why that can't happen on Saturday."
Kilmarnock winger Chris Johnston insists the on-going Rugby Park bonus row will have no effect on his side when they face St Johnstone on Saturday.
The Killie squad believe they have been given a raw deal after chairman Michael Johnston offered a take-it-or-leave-it offer.
The incentive package would see them pocket a share of just B#20,000 only if they finish at least 10th in the Scottish Premiership.
Chairman Johnston claimed on Thursday in a statement issued to Press Association Sport that the players had now accepted the deal following a dressing room summit last Friday - only for PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart to respond three hours later insisting the squad were still demanding a better offer.
The dispute has overshadowed Kilmarnock's build-up to their weekend trip to Perth but 20-year-old winger Johnston insists his team-mates - who have collected 17 points from their first nine games - will not be distracted.
He told Press Association Sport: "It won't have an impact on what we do on the park.
"Things have been going on behind closed doors for a wee while but we have still been going out and getting results.
"It's not been affecting us in terms of results. We are just concentrating on winning games and moving up the table because that is all we can do."
Johnston is not the only youngster impressing for the Ayrshire side this season.
Midfielder Robbie Muirhead's impressive displays saw him called into Ricky Sbragia's Scotland Under-19s squad and he made the most of his opportunity with a sensational 40-yard strike in the 1-1 draw with Norway.
But Muirhead was not surprised to see his team-mate netting in such stunning manner.
"Robbie has got some strike on him and is always trying stuff in training and games," he said. "He scored a belter for us earlier this season against Motherwell, but I don't really know what he was doing hitting one from 40 yards out for the Under-19s.
"I can't imagine even shooting from that range, never mind scoring. I'd have just passed it.
"If Robbie does what we know he is capable of, then there is no reason why he can't be a great player in future.
"With that left foot of his, he can shoot from anywhere and he is also strong, quick and could with the ball at his feet. He has got a lot about him."
Source: PA
