Squad rotation has been a theme of St Johnstone’s post-winter break success.
So the fact that David Wotherspoon has been one of the few ever-present starters tells you all you need to know about the former Hibs midfielder’s contribution to a run of results that has opened up clear blue water between the Perth side and the relegation battle.
It’s been quite a while since Wotherspoon has been consistently picked for Tommy Wright’s starting XI, chiefly because of injuries rather than form.
Today’s clash with Ross County will make it nine on the bounce for the 30-year-old, who believes that his manager’s faith in him is having a snow-ball effect on his performance level.
“I’ve had a lot of starts,” said Wotherspoon. “The manager has done plenty of chopping and changing but I’ve stayed in the team which has been great for me.
“I’m very grateful and it has given me more confidence.
“I’ve really enjoyed it – and the form of the team has helped.
“Even at the start of the season when things weren’t going well the spirit was good. There was a belief that we would dig ourselves out.
“That belief is definitely there just now and the boys are showing that on the pitch.”
When a team is bottom of the league and conceding bad goals like Saints were in the early months of the campaign, the spotlight is brighter on the captain than anybody else, particularly when on-pitch leadership becomes a talking point.
Wotherspoon believes Jason Kerr’s role in Saints’ stoppage time winner highlights what the young centre-back is now bringing to the captain’s position.
“Jason was leading by example with that drive he showed to get up the pitch,” he said.
“Captaincy isn’t all about talking. It’s about doing it on the pitch.
“Everyone’s been showing their worth in recent weeks, and Jason certainly has.”
And there hasn’t been a more popular goalscorer than Chris Kane all season.
“Everybody was really pleased for Kano the other night,” said Wotherspoon.
“He works his socks off for the team and doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
“He came on and made the right run to get the goal.”
Only two points from the Ross County games so far this season doesn’t feel like just reward for Wright’s men.
“We know that we can get three points against them if we’re at our best,” said Wotherspoon.
“We’ve played well against them in the two previous games and hopefully we can do the same this time and get the win as well.
“I’ve scored a couple of times up there. Football can work like that – sometimes you get grounds where you do well at. Hopefully that continues. I enjoy playing there.
“We’re full of confidence after our midweek win.”
Wotherspoon’s fellow midfielder, Liam Craig is a doubt but Michael O’Halloran should be back in the squad.
Loan signing Matt Butcher made a strong case for a first start in Dingwall with his 40-minute performance against Motherwell that oozed composure and class.
“Matt did well when he came on,” said Wright. “Although he has worked with the players he doesn’t really know them yet.
“You could see the quality he has. He’s two-footed, uses the ball well and has a physical presence. He just needs game time to get up to speed.
“I can’t recall him giving the ball away and that’s what he brings to the team. Matt can also be a threat in the final third for us.”
Not that long ago Wright’s striking options were being viewed as a squad weakness but Kane, Callum Hendry and Stevie May have turned that theory on its head.
“When we came back after the break I told the players I would be making changes game by game,” said Wright.
“This is our ninth game in a month so that brings freshness to the team and keeps players on their toes.
“When you have a break then go into a run of fixtures, especially with the pitches the way they are at this time of year, it’s important to rotate.
“I am rotating the strikers. I felt the best two to play at Ayr were Hendry and May. Against Motherwell it was Hendry.
“Whoever we play at Ross County won’t be a reflection on how anyone played in midweek.
“It will be the same across the pitch. The players were told this was what I would be doing.
“They are all good players so it doesn’t affect the continuity of the performances. They have been of a very high standard over the last few months.”
Wright has insisted that Saints won’t start to “relax” now that the relegation pressure is easing.
He said: “We have 14 games left, others have 13. We are getting to the stage where we can relax in terms of 11th and 12th with a few more wins.
“But the group sees they are only three points off Hibs and seven off Livingston. That’s not an insurmountable gap.
“We are actually closer to third than we are to the bottom so the players deserve a lot of credit for that. We were at the foot of the table in December.
“We’ve had only four defeats in 16 games.
“It’s a good run. We aren’t clear of danger yet and we won’t relax.
“There are three teams ahead of us that we have a realistic chance of catching. But we have to continue to do well.”
