St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright admits he has been given a pleasant selection headache following the performance of his makeshift defence.
The absence of Steven Anderson through injury and Frazer Wright through suspension necessitated a shake-up in the Saints backline, with Wright even bringing defender Sanel Jahic to the club as cover.
However, the Bosnian defender has found himself restricted to just four minutes of first team action so far due to the showings of full-backs turned centre-backs Dave Mackay and Tam Scobbie in recent games.
Jahic, who replaced Gary McDonald in the closing stages of Saturday’s 2-0 win at Hearts, has featured in Under-20 games for Saints, but Wright has urged his new signing to bide his time in the circumstances.
“Sanel has had to be patient because Tam Scobbie has been great at centre-half for us,” he said.
“Things might have been a bit different because if we had got his international clearance through Sanel probably would have played an Under-20 game the week before Motherwell and then he would have had a really good opportunity of starting.
“But that didn’t happen. Tam has come in and he’s done really well. “All right, he’s disappointed I brought Frazer Wright back in for the Morton game but I explained to him that was always going to be my thinking.
“Now here’s an opportunity to stay in the team. Tam’s a good footballer as well, he’s aggressive in terms of his heading and other things and builds the game from the back for you, so I’ve never had any problems playing him in there.
“I think he is helped by the skipper Dave Mackay in there beside him because of his experience.
“I said to Dave last week: ‘Don’t be having any thoughts of retiring soon because you can probably play centre-half for another seven or eight seasons’.
“He just seems to be coasting through games at the minute, but they’ll be first to admit that the team has worked hard in front of them.”
Saints are busy preparing for this coming Saturday’s home game against Kilmarnock and Wright reckons the players will go into that one in fine fettle following three straight wins in all competitions.
He added: “The players are in a good mood at the minute and that’s all down to them and the hard work they put in last week.
“To win three games in six days is no mean task and to have three clean sheets is pleasing. Our home form has been good and we want to continue in that vein.”
And Wright is likely to have a few selection dilemmas across the pitch, not just defence, having brought Murray Davidson into midfield at Paddy Cregg’s expense last weekend.
“It was a hard call on Paddy but I have said numerous times that it’s probably the strongest area where we have depth at the club, and that gives me opportunities to change it when I feel it’s necessary to change it,” he said.