St Johnstone haven’t lost a game or a goal away from home so far this season, but that impressive record on the road will be severely tested over the next few weeks.
Saints, who have won at Celtic and drawn with Aberdeen and St Mirren to date, are back on their travels at Motherwell on Saturday.
They’ll have just one SPL match at McDiarmid against Hearts before embarking on trips to face Hibernian and Kilmarnock.
Perth boss Derek McInnes said: “The fixtures have been tough to us with games against the Old Firm in our first four and we are on a run of four out of five league games away.
“We have also played one game less than many of the teams. But we can face these away games with confidence, having not conceded a goal.
“We have a good record against St Mirren and a point on the road isn’t bad. But it was a game we felt we could win.
“I can’t say I enjoyed the weekend game. We didn’t play as well as we can. But when you don’t reach the standard of performance you’re looking for it’s important to play to your other strengths.
“I felt we did that in Paisley. There was a real determination not to get beaten and to come away with something.”
With Murray Davidson, Callum Davidson and Sam Parkin already sidelined, McInnes had to do without captain Jody Morris at the weekend.
“Jody was doing some sprints towards the end of the training session on Friday when he felt the hamstring tighten,” he said. “It isn’t a pull and we will monitor him this week. If he doesn’t make Saturday hopefully he will be fine for the cup game with St Mirren.”
Continued…
Midfielder Kevin Moon was among several first-team squad members being given a run in a closed-doors game today. Carl Finnigan, Sean Higgins and Marcus Haber were also to feature.
Meanwhile, Haber has been buoyed by picking up his second international cap for Canada and aims to cement a place in the Perth side he rejoined in the summer.
He made his debut for Canada in Ukraine while he was with Saints first time round, so an appearance from the bench in a 4-1 win over St Lucia in a World Cup qualifier marked a significant milestone in his recovery from a serious knee injury.
The 22-year-old striker said: “It was a good trip. I got 15 minutes’ game time in Toronto against St Lucia and was on the bench in a 3-0 away win over Puerto Rico.
“It’s a long trip home when you are playing for Canada but luckily I don’t really suffer from jetlag. I manage to get the head down and sleep on these eight and nine-hour flights.
“It was the first time I had been involved with the international team since the game in Kiev when I won my first full cap, so it was a big boost.
“It was a real thrill to play in Toronto in front of friends and family. My family rarely get a chance to see me play and it was ideal because they were in town anyway visiting my sister at university. It worked out really well.”
He added: “The Canadian coach will be selecting players who are getting games for their clubs so hopefully I can get matches before the next qualifiers. There is an even bigger incentive for me to get out on the pitch for St Johnstone and that is my main focus.”