St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright has hailed the contribution of centre half Frazer Wright towards his side’s slow climb up the Premiership table in recent weeks.
Not for the first time in his career, the 34-year-old was in the wars yet again at the weekend and suffered a broken nose as Saints battled to a narrow success over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
Playing through the pain is something the defender has been used to this term though, having had a pain-killing injection to ease a hip problem earlier this season, and Wright fully expects to see his namesake soldier on to face Inverness this coming Saturday.
That would typify the no-nonsense attitude Saints have come to rely on from their stopper over the years, and the Perth boss believes Wright’s presence has certainly played a key part in his side’s upturn in fortunes.
“I am delighted with his return to form in recent weeks and he would be the first to admit that he wasn’t up to his usual standards earlier in the season,” Wright commented.
“But there were reasons why he was struggling.
“He was having pain and discomfort from his hip, but he had the injection and he’s back to the player we know.
“He will have another one in January as part of the treatment, but he has been pain free again and that is reflected in his performances.
“He is back to the standards he set last season.
“Saturday’s not the first time he has broken his nose – he played on with it after taking the knock in the first 10 minutes – so there will be no problem for the Inverness game.
“He is someone you would want beside you in the trenches because he loves defending and throwing himself into the line of fire.
“The back four and the keeper pride themselves on shut outs but so does the team as a whole.
“We have got to defend well and we are showing the defensive solidity of last season.
“Obviously Stevie May was scoring goals galore but I think the cup final was our 25th clean sheet in 50 games.
“That was a huge part of our success and I think it can be overlooked how good we are at that part of the game.”
Saints’ 1-0 win at the weekend took them up into the top half of the table and Wright reckons his side have hit form at exactly the right time after a stuttering start to the season.
“We are in a good run of form and the players deserve credit for it,” he continued.
“Let’s be honest, we needed it.
“We are back into the top six and that gives everyone a lift going into a tough Christmas programme.
“We are just seven points off Hamilton and eight behind Dundee United and Aberdeen, but we have top teams to play in the next group of matches so we want to eat into that gap.
“Everyone played their part against Kilmarnock on Saturday, including the subs.
“Lee Croft could easily have sulked when he didn’t start.
“He could have felt he deserved getting his place back after the suspension.
“But David Wotherspoon did well against St Mirren, so players tend to handle the disappointments well at this club.
“We have competition for places and that is great.
“Everyone is hungry and champing at the bit.”
That eagerness to do well was perhaps borne out by the minor disagreement Brian Graham and Michael O’Halloran had over who was taking Saturday’s decisive penalty kick, with Graham eventually the man to convert.
Wright revealed that the pair had a laugh about it afterwards though.
“Michael must have forgotten that Brian was on the penalties,” he explained.
“He has been on a great scoring run and was fouled for the spot kick, so he wanted to keep the run going.
“Normally I remind everyone who is the designated penalty taker but it was sod’s law that I forgot at the weekend!”
Meanwhile, Saints expect to know more about the severity of James McFadden’s hamstring injury later in the week, with early estimates suggesting the former Scotland star could face seven to 10 days out.
The strain does mean, however, that he is rated doubtful for the Inverness match, although David Wotherspoon should be fit after a slight knock on his knee at the weekend.