Tam Scobbie has become the latest St Johnstone player to commit his future to the Perth club.
The defender has signed a two-year deal.
Scobbie has followed the lead of the likes of Dave Mackay, David Wotherspoon, Chris MIllar and Alan Mannus in penning fresh deals before the end of the current campaign.
Manager Tommy Wright said: “I’m delighted that Tam has signed his new contract.
“He’s another important member of our squad who has played an important role in getting us into the top six again.
“He’s at a good age and we can expect a lot more from him over the next couple of years.”
Meanwhile, Wright believes Saints will probably need to win at least seven points in their post-split fixtures to have a fighting chance of finishing fourth, and probably claim a Europa League place.
The McDiarmid Park side are a point behind Dundee United, who have two games in hand. Fourth will only be good enough to qualify for Europe is Celtic or Inverness Caledonian Thistle win the Scottish Cup.
“I think we’ll probably need seven to nine points to give us a chance,” Wright said.
“That’s difficult at this stage, but it’s not outwith our capabilities.
“We picked five points up after the split last year.
“Realistically though we couldn’t get into Europe via the league. The best we could hope for was fifth.
“We’re in a better position this year because we’ve got a chance of getting into Europe.
“I still think Dundee are red hot favourites, and Celtic or Inverness winning the cup isn’t a given.”
Wright won’t be making a fuss if Saints get two home games and three away when the fixture list is announced later this week.
He noted: “We should have Inverness and United at home, and Aberdeen, Celtic and Dundee away it it goes on where we’ve already played those teams so far.
“But it doesn’t always work like that.
“Maybe the fact that we’ve twice had only two at home over the last three years will work in our favour.
“I’m not too concerned about it though. The most important thing is we’re in the top six.”
Wright pointed out that making it into the top six for a fourth time has given him more pride – personally and for the team – than the previous three.
He explained: “The league’s been more competitive this season, and that’s what makes this achievement a great one.
“I think it’s the best of the four.
“I’ve taken a lot of satisfaction out of it for the players.
“This was always going to be a difficult season for the cub after the euphoria of winning the Scottish Cup.
“People were thinking ‘where do we go from here?’
“Well, we’ve improved.
“We’ve improved in terms of our league position as it sits just now. And we’ve done it on the back of having to lose someone who has scored 27 goals.
“I always thought this would be our toughest challenge as far as getting into the top six is concerned.
“Nobody’s got near Stevie’s 27 goals in Scotland. Those sort of players certainly aren’t available at the level of wages we pay.
“So it was always going to be difficult, and that’s why I’ve taken the most pride for myself and our my staff.
“We’ve won games by the odd goal, been organised a game and played some good football at times. Most importantly, we’ve found ways to win games.
“There are five or six clubs dragged away into the relegation issue, and we’ve stayed away from that.
“We’ve been able to put money aside and do a lot of things off the pitch. So it’s been a successful season on and off the pitch.
“But it’s not over yet we want to kick on again.”