Start Key For Saints Boss Wright

Picture by Jeff Holmes

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is looking for a better start against Ross County after watching his team fall behind early in both their Premiership games.

Saints have lost goals inside 10 minutes against Hearts and Inverness and Wright wants to avoid a repeat at McDiarmid Park on Tuesday night.

"We have got to start games better, particularly at home,'' Wright said.

"It was a wee bit of a problem last season as well.

"You don't want to be going behind every week. Goals change games and if you go 1-0 up teams have to come out a wee bit more at you. So it is difficult to get back into games.

"We have proved that we can but we have to make sure we don't get in that situation. We have to start games better and when we get opportunities we have got to take them, and hopefully that will give us a platform to win games.''

His side fought back for a late 1-1 draw against Caley Thistle on Saturday, and came back from two goals down before falling 4-3 at Tynecastle, and Wright does not want to be chasing the game again.

"We are at our best when we do everything quickly, play at a tempo, and that's with and without the ball,'' the Northern Irishman said.

"We moved the ball really well at Hearts and created loads of opportunities but on Saturday we were pedestrian in terms of how we moved the ball, especially first half, and you tend to go longer more often than you should have.

"We have people who are comfortable on the ball and we didn't move it quickly enough.

"Training was brilliant all week but the first-half performance wasn't what we expect.''

The team that has scored first has won nine of the 11 games so far this season, the other being a goalless draw, and Saints striker John Sutton knows the opener could be crucial against County.

"I'm not sure of the statistics but it's a big thing to get the first goal in a game,'' he said.

"So the fact we have managed to battle back so many times, there is obviously a good team spirit here.

"But we would much rather not put that to the test so much and actually take the lead in games and go and win one."