ST Johnstone manager Tommy Wright insists a lack of video evidence won’t tempt the Perth club to sweep the violent on-field clash between players Richard Forster and Danny Swanson under the carpet.
The raging teammates exchanged blows on the half-time whistle and referee Don Robertson left Saints reduced to nine men en route to a 1-0 last minute loss at Hamilton.
The cameras homed in on a melee involving players and coaches from both teams but failed to capture the initial flashpoint.
With both players suspended by the club and an internal investigation now under way – with Foster and Swanson also facing SFA disciplinary action – Saints are awaiting the referee’s report into the incident.
The players could be fined up to two weeks’ wages, with dismissal highly unlikely.
Swanson is currently involved in protracted contact negotiations to extend his stay at Perth while Foster recently penned a new two year deal.
Wright is also preparing for tomorrow’s vital home clash with fourth place rivals Hearts, who lost 5-0 to title-winning Celtic on Sunday.
He said: “I am limited in what I can say. We are aware there is no footage of what happened but that doesn’t hinder having a proper investigation.
“Once that is concluded a decision will be made and we’ll draw a line under it when that happens. It will be dealt with fairly.
“The club did the right thing dealing with it swiftly like we did and that has also given the players some breathing space.
“Suspending them while we investigate was the right decision and the fairest thing all round.
“The club has a code of conduct and the players all get a staff handbook so the initial interviews will be conducted by me then I’ll speak to the board.
“There is a proper process so we will have to let that take its course before a decision is made on what punishment we will hand out.
“We will get the referee’s report and go through that, so there are various things we have to see.
“Just because there is no video footage it doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do. The players’ evidence will be very much part of that.
“It won’t be swept under the carpet, we don’t need video evidence to make a decision. Every source of information available to us will be used.”
A former international goalkeeper, one-time Newcastle and Nottingham Forest player Wright managed various clubs in his native Northern Ireland before a successful switch to Scotland.
He admitted: “This is the first time I have had to deal with this as a manager. It’s a new one.
“I know I said on Saturday about things being sorted out in dressing-rooms but over the years I can’t remember too many incidents.
“It’s not something you want to be dealing with, we’ll just have to. It’s just another strand of being a manager.”
While Swanson and Foster will sit out the clash with Hearts, Wright insisted Saints have the character required to ride out the storm.
“What happened on Saturday will galvanise us for the Hearts game,” he insisted.
“I think it will have a positive effect on my dressing-room, that’s what they’re like. The fans will be behind us and we’re ready to go.
“As a squad we’ve already moved on from it now and there’s absolutely no chance it will affect what we’re doing here.
“You saw it on Saturday with the performance we had with nine men in the second half. I know these players inside out and if anything it will galvanise us.
“So if people think we’re going to fold, capitulate and the seams are bursting then good luck to them.
“But I know that dressing-room, they’re a strong group and if anything it will make them stronger.”
With tempers fraying in both camps and Hamilton coach Guillaume Beuzelin sent to the stand, Wright scotched claims by Accies midfielder Darian MacKinnon that the Perth manager had “bumped into me, trying to get me into trouble.”
He said: “Darian has said a lot of things, like other people at Hamilton have done.
“But the incident was under control, Danny was away and Richard had two of our lads with him.
“There was a melee because other people got involved in something they shouldn’t have.
“Darian is a lovely lad and I have nothing but admiration for him, with the way he’s turned his life around.
“He’s come up through the juniors and I like that because I came up that way as well. But his comments are totally wrong. I know what happened.
“I don’t see how someone standing still in the technical area with their hands in their pockets can bump into anyone.
“I think I would have been defying the laws of physics for that to have happened.
“The match delegate saw it, he was the first person to speak to me after the game and he mentioned it because he knew what happened. The fourth official saw it as well, my staff saw it.
“I think Darian’s memory is going a wee bit because he seems to have forgotten that he had to be pulled apart from Mikey Devlin earlier this season when they played Dundee.
“That was a similar incident so sometimes you should be careful what you say.
“Maybe Darian should reflect on his comments because what he says happened with me definitely didn’t happen.”
