St Johnstone’s defensive solidity has been an encouraging recurring theme in recent weeks.
And the Perth creators and goalscorers want to take full advantage of the platform the new-look back four is giving them.
Confidence is growing on the back of three clean sheets in a row, according to midfielder David Wotherspoon.
The next step in the team’s development, after cutting out the basic errors that were killing them, is being as good at scoring goals as they now are at keeping them out.
And the last two games before the January break would be a perfect time to see that happen.
“We were making silly mistakes earlier in the season but the last three games have been pretty good,” said Wotherspoon.
“Now that we’re getting clean sheets it gives the guys in midfield and up front more confidence to try and win the game.
“Saturday was an example of if you’re not winning a game, make sure you don’t lose it.
“We had clear-cut chances to score but we’ll take our point and move on to the next match.
“Since I’ve been here the main focus has always been keeping clean sheets. Playing as a team has been the key to that.
“This team has taken some time to gel but you can see that we’re getting there and we’re becoming more consistent.”
Hamilton have become reliably infuriating to other teams in the bottom part of the Premiership in recent years, with Saturday’s win over Hearts a shock to no-one.
The fact that Saints are newer to a relegation battle than their opponents this afternoon doesn’t mean they are less equipped for a six-pointer like this, Wotherspoon insisted however.
“We were disappointed not to get three points on Saturday but we still feel there is a lot to build on,” said the former Hibs man.
“We’ve got two massive games coming up.
“Hamilton is always a tough place to go but we know we’re capable of winning there.
“We played well against them here earlier in the season. It was our first league win.
“I got a couple of goals and Callum (Hendry) came off the bench to score the winner.
“Since then we’ve had a couple of bumps in the road but there has been some decent form as well.
“We’re looking forward to Thursday.
“We’ve got big players who can perform in games like these.
“We know what Hamilton are about but we also know what we need to do to beat them – dig deep and out-play them.
“Hibs were down with us recently but quickly moved up the table after a few good results. That’s what we want to do.”
Saints have no fresh injury doubts and could welcome Chris Kane back to their squad.
