St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright is in no rush to bring in another striker to replace Joe Gormley.
The on-loan Peterborough United man has returned to Northern Ireland after ditching a career in full-time football.
But Wright believes the other attacking options he has at his disposal mean there isn’t an urgency to start looking for anybody else.
“What happened with Joe is unfortunate but we fully understand it,” he said.
“I spent a lot of time with him trying to see if there was anything we could do to help him.
“But his mind was made up that he wanted to go back home so we had to respect that.
“His well-being is the main thing and he felt it was best for him.
“From our perspective, we have Michael Coulson who can go in there and play up front so I don’t feel we’re a striker down.
“Ideally we would be scoring more goals so we’ll see what happens between now and the window before deciding what to do.”
Wright is convinced that Coulson will prove to be an asset for his team.
“Michael has been unlucky because he got injured early on and that set him back a bit,” he said.
“We’ve also had Danny Swanson in great form so he’s been playing ahead of him and I also think the pace of the game in Scotland has taken him by surprise a bit.
“It is a lot quicker so he’s taken a while to adapt but he’s getting much closer and is knocking at the door.
“I’m happy with him and the way he’s progressing so when the chance comes it will be up to him to take it.
“Can I play him and Danny in the same team? Yes, I think we can because I think he’s capable of playing in a more central role.”
Saints may have beaten tomorrow’s opponents Hearts twice already this season but in the league game in particular Robbie Neilson’s side showed their quality, with Zander Clark man of the match.
“Hearts are a very good side and along with Celtic they are only one of two teams to dominate us this season,” Wright said.
“That is the measure of how good a side they are, they have a good manager and good players.
“Hearts are a big club and they recruit well, they sign players from a pool we can’t look at.
“They are one of the clubs we want to hang on to the coat-tails of and like to challenge ourselves against.
“We have competed with them in the past, we love going to Tynecastle because it’s a great atmosphere.
“It’s one of the best in Scottish football so we’re looking forward to the challenge.
“We have had some good games with them in the last 18 months, we’re both at the right end of the table so it’s going to be a good game.”
Murray Davidson will miss out with an ankle injury but Tam Scobbie returns to the squad for the first time since the Bet Fred Cup clash with Hearts at the start of the season.
Wright reported: “Tam Scobbie got 90 minutes in the under-20s earlier in the week so he’s back in the squad for the weekend.
“It’s great news to have him available again.”
