Goalkeeper Alan Mannus has spoken of his relief that St Johnstone have come out the other side of their worrying early-season form slump.
Saturday’s 1-0 win at St Mirren has taken Tommy Wright’s men to within a point of sixth-placed Kilmarnock.
They are now on a five-game unbeaten league run four of them victories and the September and October blues seem like a distant memory.
Mannus, who was a second half hero to keep the Buddies at bay, admitted that their Premiership struggles had weighed heavily on him.
“When we were on that bad run it was constantly on your mind,” he explained.
“You’d be sitting at home and it was impossible to not think about it.
“It’s great to not have that to worry about at the moment.
“We can relax a bit now.”
Of all the performances Saints have produced in their recent spell of good form, Saturday’s was perhaps the most typical of years gone by.
“When we were talking in the showers Frazer (Wright) said he’d rather win a game like that than a 3-0,” Mannus said.
“And I said to him, ‘how many games have we won like that in the last two or three years where our backs have been against the wall almost and it’s been about defending and working hard?’
“It’s the St Johnstone way, I guess. We seem to be quite good at it.”