Tony Gallacher had a “really good” comeback game for St Johnstone, according to manager Callum Davidson.
And David Wotherspoon’s return has been pencilled in for next week.
The former Liverpool left-back, who broke his leg last season, played 45 minutes of a closed-doors game against Alloa on Tuesday.
Wotherspoon, who has been out for much longer following knee surgery, is scheduled to get a similar amount of action in a few days’ time.
“It was on astroturf so we had to make sure we protected Tony,” said Davidson. “It was really good.
“It was a competitive game. We were really pleased he got through 45 minutes.
“We will step up the game time next week. Sometimes we get too eager to put them straight back in.
“I think it’s really important that with him and David, we make sure they are right.
“They are coming back into training when it’s full speed. When it’s pre-season it’s a little bit lower key getting them in.
“We need to manage them properly.”
Spoony update
Davidson added: “David is pencilled in for a bounce game next week. He’s had an extra week training.
“This will be the first time David has done three days in a row.
“We will see how he is, make sure we have a tough week leading up to the game then give him 45/60 minutes.
“Then the following week we will try and ease the training load and up his game time.”
Davidson will decide later in the week whether to include Murray Davidson in his squad at Kilmarnock.
“Murray is still 50-50,” he reported. “It’s difficult as it’s an ankle injury and we’re playing on plastic.
“We will make a judgment on that on Friday.”
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