Tommy Wright hopes St Johnstone's 2-0 win over Partick Thistle yesterday will kick-start their quest to move up the table. The Saints had won six games in a row before suffering consecutive defeats to Aberdeen and Hamilton, but defenders Dave Mackay and Steven Anderson guided the team to another win on Saturday to strengthen their grip on sixth place. Manager Wright said: "When you have had a couple of defeats it is always nice to bounce back. We emphasised the point to start the game well and I thought we did and got the goal. Against Partick at times you have got to be patient as they have quite a lot of possession but I think overall we probably deserved to win. The second goal always gives you that cushion and was an important one to get. We were on a good run before and if you looked at the four games we had over the Christmas and New Year period - Inverness, Dundee United, Hamilton and Aberdeen - all four teams were above us. The expectation level probably went up a bit after we won the first two of those and that's why we were disappointed as you would expect to pick up more than none out of six from the next two. But they bounced back and it is important now we try and go on another run."
Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald was unhappy with the manner of the two goals conceded at the start of each half, which left them facing an uphill struggle to get anything out of the game. He said: "It was bad decision-making. The first goal we had a chance to clear it, we didn't and then they obviously got the deflection which helped it go in. But after those first 10 minutes I thought we were the better team in the first half. Ryan Stevenson was unlucky hitting the bar and that was the difference I think. In the second half we started well enough and then switched off at a corner - you can't do that against a good side like St Johnstone. St Johnstone are a hard enough team to play against without giving them a goal head-start. I think there is plenty to be optimistic about but we lost goals to a deflection and a set-play."