Drey Wright is set to make his St Johnstone comeback against former club, Hibs, after being sidelined for over six months with a knee injury.
Perth boss Craig Levein has confirmed that the 28-year-old will be a substitute for Saturday’s first game after the Premiership split.
And he believes Wright is ready to make an impact on Saints’ survival bid.
“Drey will be on the bench tomorrow,” said Levein.
“And at some point over the next five matches he’ll start.
“He’s not had any minutes whatsoever which obviously isn’t ideal.
“But as I’ve said previously, I’m hoping he’ll find his rhythm pretty quickly.
“The most important thing about him being on the bench is that it will give him a lift.
“He’s had a horrible time with injuries – serious ones.
“Drey’s looked sharp in training and hopefully we can get him some game-time tomorrow.
“Cammy (MacPherson) probably needs a bit more fitness but he’s on the bench as well and there’s every chance I’ll say to him ‘get ready to go on’.”
Dan Phillips taking painkillers
Meanwhile, Dan Phillips has returned to training just in time for the Hibs match, having suffered a rib injury against Kilmarnock a fortnight ago.
“Dan did a little bit on Thursday and he’s completed the full training session today,” Levein added.
“It was a muscular issue just underneath the ribs.
“We were obviously concerned but it’s settled down. He’s taken painkillers for training and we’re hoping he’ll be fine for the game.”
Shape and discipline
Levein believes that one of the keys to Saints’ success against Hibs this season has been their team structure and discipline.
On that front, striker Nicky Clark will have an important role to play as they seek to make it three wins in a row against the Easter Road side.
“He gets frustrated at times when we can’t find him,” said Levein.
“That’s when he starts to go looking for the ball. It can hurt us a bit shape-wise and holes can appear.
“It’s about him being disciplined, holding his ground and trusting that we can get the ball to him.
“We’ve played reasonably well in the two previous matches against Hibs.
“They play a style of football that makes them extremely dangerous, which is something we recognise.
“We’ve been disciplined the last couple of times we’ve played Hibs and we’ll need to be very vigilant tomorrow as well. They’ve got serious firepower in their team.”
Conversation