Sights are being raised by the week at McDiarmid Park.
And St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright knows that third place in the Premiership will be “realistic” if they defeat Inverness Caledonian Thistle tomorrow, as they would be just one point behind the Highlanders.
“I am bursting to get into Europe again,” Wright said.
“If we win this weekend that gives us a realistic chance of getting third place. If we lose, we fight it out for fourth.
“I know I have had a moan about the time-frame as it is ridiculous in terms of turnaround for Scottish clubs. Sometimes you don’t know who you are playing until the week before. We have had that before.
“Uefa could look at it again and make it better, maybe by regionalising it.
“But we want into Europe and we would handle it.
“I have been over in Ireland looking at training facilities and trying to arrange possible games as well. It might come to nothing but we have to be prepared for every scenario.
“It would be brilliant to get in Europe again for the prestige it brings and it is worth it financially for the club.”
Wright does not believe Caley Thistle will have lost their league focus as a result of getting to the Scottish Cup final.
He pointed out: “Last season the cup final was a distraction for us only in the last game of the season up in Inverness when we lost, but not before that.
“It didn’t affect our performances. It was only in the last match we looked as if we had one eye on the final.
“Inverness players will be playing for cup final places. If someone isn’t playing well for a few games they might miss out on the final.
“Reaching their first Scottish Cup final is a tremendous achievement, like us last season. For us winning it was a pinnacle. It would be the same for them.”
Wright added: “We are in a good position. We have got top six again so the pressure is off. The players can enjoy the run-in.
“A couple more points will probably guarantee us fifth and that is an improvement on last year. We were out of the running six weeks ago and people were questioning if we would even make top six.”
Simon Lappin and Steven Anderson are back from suspension.
“Our biggest concern is Brian Easton,” Wright said. “He had a little setback with his thigh injury. We have a few niggles and players will have to be managed between now and the end of the season, particularly across the back four. We have players who may need surgery come the end of the season.”