ST JOHNSTONE manager Tommy Wright hopes St Johnstone’s dramatic 2-1 victory away to Hibernian on Saturday can be the catalyst to get his team’s season back on track.
The Perth side, who hadn’t won – or indeed scored – six games, caused an upset as strikes from Murray Davidson, who scored his side’s first goal in 620 minutes of action, and Steven MacLean sandwiched a contentious penalty from Anthony Stokes.
The manner of the success was particularly pleasing for Wright, who has been linked with the Northern Ireland manager’s job as Scotland pursue Michael O’Neill. With Saints having been dealt the blow of conceding an injury-time equaliser, MacLean struck with what was effectively the last kick of the game.
Wright hopes his team can build on the result gained in Leith. He said: “Hopefully that will kick us on now. We’ll hopefully cement our place in the top six because it will be tough this year when you look at the quality Hibs have brought into the league.
“We’re delighted and because of the way the win has happened, there is probably a great sense of euphoria but we’ll come back down to Earth.
“We have a free week next week, the players will get their Christmas party out of the way and that will clear everything up for December. We have a tough month with the number of games we have.”
Wright added: “It was just relief when we took the lead. If I’d sat and worked out how long we’d not scored for I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. You just work to the next game, you don’t think ‘we’ve not scored in that long’ because if I think that, it will transfer to the players.”
Davidson notched St Johnstone’s first in the 74th minute, nodding past Hibs goalkeeper Ofir Marciano from Graham Cummins’ header back across goal. Stokes converted from the spot after Joe Shaughnessy was adjudged to have handled a Martin Boyle cross, but MacLean hit back with an easy tap-in after Marciano could only block Liam Craig’s effort.
Hibs head coach Neil Lennon, whose side had won four on the spin before Saturday, said: “There was a flatness about us and I can understand it. It’s been a fragmented couple of weeks with players being away and players being out injured, some needing a rest. We weren’t brilliant but we were OK and you have to respect the opposition.”
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