Wright wowed by Steven Maclean as striker signs off with a hat-trick

The 35-year-old struck three times in 25 minutes on his 203rd and final game for the club as Saints won 5-1 at Fir Park to draw level on points with their hosts in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Hamilton's artificial surface and a suspension will ensure MacLean sits out the final two matches of the season and he showed the Saints fans what they will be missing when he departs for Hearts.

MacLean headed home Richard Foster's cross, slid in to convert Matty Willock's low delivery, and then stabbed home David Wotherspoon's scuffed shot to take his Saints tally to 57.

Wright took MacLean off to a hero's ovation and saw substitute David McMillan head his first goal of an injury hit start to his Perth career.

Wright said: 'I said to him in the dugout, 'Did you go to bed last night thinking, right, I'll go out with a hat-trick?'. He said, 'No, I couldn't sleep'.

'In many ways it's the perfect send-off for him. In many ways for me as a manager, he has got his hat-trick and David McMillan, who has had a torrid time since he signed, has come on and scored a wonderful goal as well.

'But it was a great team performance and fully deserved and for 'Macca' to cap it off with a hat-trick is perfect for him and perfect for the fans. I think they came down in numbers to see him off and he gave them a perfect send-off.

'Players don't stay at clubs if they're not doing their job. He has given me everything and been a leader for me, and I'll miss him. But he knows that he goes with my good wishes because he doesn't owe me a thing, and the move to Hearts is just too big a move at his age to turn down.

'There is no ill feeling, I wish him well. But he knows time doesn't stand still, I will have to move on and hopefully we will do that.'

Steven Anderson also netted from close range as Motherwell were stunned by a three-goal burst in nine minutes - as many as they had conceded in their previous five games.

Home boss Stephen Robinson, who saw substitute Gael Bigirimana pull one back at 4-0, admitted his side's sloppy defending had taken him by surprise after a comfortable first half hour.

'I actually thought we started quite brightly, had a couple of half-chances, moved the ball really well,' he said. 'But that's the first time in 36 games I have seen us defend like that.

'We have lost games where I thought we can be better, but every individual error got punished. So hopefully we got them all out of the way in the one game.

'Credit to St Johnstone, they took their chances, and Steven MacLean was excellent, but I'm not sure he'll score any easier goals than that, with the way we defended.

'The positive I will take out of that is I know that's not how we defend. You don't get 18 clean sheets defending like that.'

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