Saints boss keen to keep rivals in check
Saints will leapfrog Rangers and draw level with Hearts on Betfred Cup semi-final weekend if they beat bottom club Dundee on Sunday.
St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright wants his team to seize the chance for a boost to their position in the Premiership chasing pack.
Saints will leapfrog Rangers and draw level with Hearts on Betfred Cup semi-final weekend if they beat bottom club Dundee on Sunday.
A victory would be a welcome boost ahead of their trip to face Rangers on Wednesday after Saints dropped behind the Ibrox side the previous weekend, when Kilmarnock won at McDiarmid Park.
Wright said: "It is another chance to keep ourselves in touch with Hearts, Aberdeen and Rangers and that's what we are going to try to do. "We don't want that group to be breaking away, we want to stay in touch with the so-called bigger teams for as long as possible and hopefully we can do that.
"It will be a difficult game, we know that, and we must make sure we have a similar type of performance and are a bit more ruthless than last weekend.
"We will not underestimate the challenge we face because of their league position."
With Dundee United's relegation, Sunday's game is the first Tayside derby of the season and Wright hopes that factor will help his players.
Wright said: "It's a wee bit extra special, live on TV, they always bring a decent crowd down.
"There should be a good atmosphere, which I think will help our players.
"At times last week was a bit quiet, even though the team had done really well and put in a good first-half performance."