St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright has drawn a line under the “feistiness” of last season ahead of Saturday’s Tayside derby clash with Dundee.
The touchline bust-up at Dens Park, and all that followed it, turned into a running story at the back end of the 2017/18 campaign.
But Wright has no desire to go back over old ground in the build-up to the weekend game at McDiarmid Park, with both sides seeking their first league win.
“I think people will be looking forward to this game because there has been a bit of feistiness in the past,” said Wright.
“But what happened is in the past. I’ve certainly moved on from it.
“I’m not concerned about last season. I’m looking forward to seeing the wee man again and locking horns with him.
“There’s no point getting all angry and heated up – it’s only football.
“We will be calm and focused, what happened in the past won’t affect us.”
Saints are going into the contest after securing a place in the last eight of the Betfred Cup, while the Dark Blues will be looking to bounce back from their humiliating exit to Ayr United.
“It’s got the ingredients of a good game,” said Wright. “Dundee will be hurting after going out of the cup last weekend.
“That would have been a huge blow for them because they haven’t had a cup run in a lot of years.
“So they will be looking for a reaction when they come to our place on Saturday.
“Last season I felt our performances against Dundee deserved more and it was harsh losing the games we did.
“But it’s a fresh season now and both teams are looking for their first win in the league.”
Meanwhile, Wright has insisted that Saints will “embrace” the challenge of facing Betfred Cup holders Celtic in the quarter-finals of the competition next month.
“It’s obviously a very tough draw, but one we are looking forward to,” he said.
“Everyone has had their say about Celtic recently and I’ve heard people say there is a crisis.
“But they have the best squad in the country, a top manager and they’ve won the last six trophies in a row.
“They have proved time and again how good a side they are.
“But it’s a challenge we will embrace.
“Nobody will give us a chance but we will take heart from the performances and results we have had against them in recent seasons.
“Our record is probably as good as anyone over the last few years.
“It’s a one-off game. We will have to play well to go through but we will go into it believing we can do it.
“We have done OK in this competition. The main thing was being in the draw on Sunday.
“Once the game comes around, we will be up for the challenge.”
