St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright believes the return of midfield terrier Chris Millar could help spark a turnaround in fortunes for his team.
Saints are preparing to head to Partick Thistle on Saturday on the back of five straight league defeats, but they have been boosted by the presence of Millar who could be in contention for a starting slot after coming through training sessions following a niggling injury.
One man doesn’t make a team, but Wright hopes Millar will give his side something they have perhaps been missing of late.
“Having Chris Millar back is important because he’s been one of our best and most consistent players, particularly this season but over a period of time as well,” he said.
“He brings a lot of energy and drive to the team, so it will be good to have him available.
“Chris has always been a bit of a Mr Angry Head, even in training, but I think since Macca (Steven MacLean) has been out of the team he’s maybe taken on the role of chief moaner and giving out the stick to people.
“He doesn’t mean anything by it, he’s just driven, he wants to win and get people to do better and you need that in the team, so we’re just pleased he’s available for selection again.”
Saints’ start to the season may not exactly have set the heather on fire, but they could find themselves in a far better place by the time Hallowe’en has been and gone.
They are currently sitting in ninth spot after a poor run of results, and questions are being asked about their ability to claw their way back into the race for a top six finish.
But with games coming up against teams around them in the Premiership table and a League Cup tie at Ibrox sandwiched in between in the next week, Wright is well aware of what three wins on the trot could do for the Perth side’s season.
“Truthfully, I’m only looking to one game and that’s the Partick game, so we’ve got to deal with that,” he continued. “Three games in six days is a bit unfortunate.
“I’m looking forward to the Friday night game against Motherwell, but ideally you wouldn’t want a game on the Tuesday when you have a Friday night game so I think maybe something should be looked at with that.
“There are good games coming up and if we win all three then it just turns things around, but we have to make sure that we get a result on Saturday.