Drey Wright set a target when St Johnstone were cut nine points adrift at the bottom of the league table following a defeat to Rangers last month.
And back-to-back Premiership victories have put the Perth side ahead of it.
“The gap was nine points with 10 games before the split, I think,” said Wright.
“The way I was looking at it was if we could shorten the gap to a two-game swing that would be more than manageable.
“Anything better than that, then brilliant.
“We’ve picked up maximum points since then so you really can’t ask for more.
“It means we can stop looking at other results and focus on ourselves.
“If you go on a run of results over five or six games while other teams don’t, you can see the table change.
“We’ve been looking at other teams in and around us going on those runs.
“We haven’t had one yet.
“Hopefully this is the start of one.
“It’s the cup next and then another game we believe is winnable at Kilmarnock.”
Luck turning
Saints were caught in a vicious circle of bad mistakes and bad luck during their costly nine-match winless run.
Wright is hoping that this latest victory, a 1-0 triumph over St Mirren, is evidence they are now in the middle of a virtuous one.
“Getting the small things in our favour and picking up results on the back of that changes everything,” said the Englishman.
“The Bozo (Mikulic) goal is a great example.
“The ball has fallen nicely for us in the box and there’s maybe been a bit of a deflection on its way to goal.
“There’s a defender who blocks it when things aren’t going for you.
“Long may it continue.”
The fact that Saints have picked up their two league wins with only one recognised centre-half in the back-three makes the achievement all the more impressive.
And you can throw into the mix late call-offs and work permit uncertainty.
“We only conceded a penalty while I as a centre-half,” joked Wright, who played in central defence against Motherwell but was shifted to a more familiar wing-back role on Saturday.
“I’m a bit disappointed to be moved to be honest!
“There’s a lot more running at wing-back, that’s for sure.
“Boys have been doing a job for the team at a time when there’s been no hiding from the importance of the games.
“Myself and Sven (Sprangler)have found ourselves in unnatural positions but it’s all about the results for the team.
“I can’t speak for other players, but the manager spoke to me personally during the week and said there were a lot of moving parts – ‘you’ll either be here or here depending on what happens’.
“You’ve got to be ready for anything.
“It wasn’t until about an hour and 15 minutes before kick-off that I knew for sure that I’d be at left wing-back.
“I think Andre (Raymond) picked up a knock and had to pull out of the squad and obviously Daniels (Balodis) wasn’t eligible to play.”
Easy on the eye
Saints have turned their form around without adopting a long-ball strategy – much to the players’ satisfaction.
“When it works and we play our way through a team’s press then we know we’re doing the right things,” said Wright.
“That’s giving us the best chance to be successful.
“The goals we were conceding weren’t because of our style of play – it was a lack of defensive basics.
“We’ll hopefully keep improving.
“The feeling inside the dressing room – certainly myself – is that this is a much more enjoyable way to play.
“Everyone is improving because of it.”
New warm-up
Towards the end of the team’s pre-match warm-up, there’s a routine where all the outfield players use their half-pitch to go through mock moves.
“It was new to me when we started it,” said Wright.
“The defence do a few things amongst themselves and so do the forward boys, then it’s the full team.
“It’s just to get familiarity with the way we’re going to try to play and with the pitch.
“I’ve done a lot of different things with a lot of different managers.
“No player will say he enjoys warm-ups – it’s about doing the right things to get you in a good place for the game.
“This is fun and it’s working just now.”
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