St Johnstone are a young, “hungry” team, according to Dare Olufunwa.
And the Perth defender is confident that their appetite for improvement will soon start to get its reward.
Olufunwa was one of seven players in their early 20s who played the majority of the game against Rangers at the weekend.
Saints might still be winless and bottom of the Premiership but there’s a determination that a run of six games before they face a return clash with the Ibrox side will produce a points haul that matches their desire.
“We go into every game trying to get something out of it,” said the former Liverpool and Southampton man.
“But I think it’s crucial that in these next few games we put points on the board.
“We’re confident we can do that.
“It’s not as if we’re looking at the league table, thinking ‘oh no, we’re bottom’.
“We know how good we are and we know we can get results. We’ll be taking it game by game to do that.”
Olufunwa added: “We made a lot of signings really late. Most of the first ones came in August.
“It takes a bit of time for the team to gel.
“I’ve definitely seen a big difference in training and in the games.
“This is a team that can grow together.
“We do have a young squad but the older boys are pointing us in the right direction.
“When you’re young, you’ve got even more to prove because you’re trying to make a career.
“We’re all hungry.”
Positional switch for St Johnstone defender Dare Olufunwa
This is Olufunwa’s first season in senior football and he’s starting to get used to life in the men’s game.
“It’s been different for me moving out to right-back,” he said.
“I didn’t play there much last season and I’m building up my fitness for that role as well.
“I’ve settled in well up here.
“The main thing has been the team bonding. We’re getting close to the results that will see us moving up the table.
“I’m sure they’ll start to come.”
Comeback striker Chris Kane has a key role to play in that.
“Kano is different to the other strikers we have,” said Olufunwa. “He’s very strong, he can hold the ball up and he’s good in the box.
“When it feels like you’re behind the ball for a long time against Rangers or Celtic he can give you a breather, win a foul, slow the game down and get us up the pitch.”
Olufunwa and Kane had chances within seconds of each other to level the scores early in the second half.
“We tried to push after the break,” said the 22-year-old. “We pressed better as well.
“That was when we needed to take one of the chances.
“I thought my shot was going in but Ben (Davies) has managed to get a head to it.”
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