Dan Cleary has the fighting qualities required to help St Johnstone battle out of a sticky situation, insists skipper Liam Gordon.
The Irish centre-half made his club debut in the 2-0 midweek Scottish Premiership defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle.
While Saints worryingly suffered a ninth successive loss and remain bottom of the pile, Gordon thought there were positives to take.
One was Cleary’s first appearance and the captain said: “Dan had a solid debut.
“He has made a really good first impression. He is a good professional, works hard and wants to do well.
“He is aggressive and wants to fight - that is exactly what we need right now.
“And Nadir (Ciftci) is going to get better with the more games he plays. He can be a really good player for us.”
Scottish Cup success at Kelty Hearts can help kick-start a concerning season, Gordon reckons.
The Perth side, understood to be on the verge of welcoming Sligo Rovers defender John Mahon, head for New Central Park on Saturday afternoon.
Gordon thinks recapturing that winning feeling in Fife, albeit in the cup, can spark a revival.
“Kelty is massive,” Gordon said. “It’s going to be a tough fixture and they will make it difficult.
“If we don’t have the right application, we could be in for a long afternoon. We need to approach it in the right manner.
“After our result on Tuesday, the first thing you want is another game and we’re lucky to have that.
“A result can help turn the season. We went through a goal drought last year, where we weren’t winning much.
“Getting a win and a few goals can definitely kick us on. We need to go out there and make it happen.
“We are the holders of the cup and want to defend it. You don’t go in just to take part.
“We want to get through to the next round and put on a good performance to build into a busy few months ahead.”
In his first campaign as captain – and as a local lad – Gordon is clearly determined to do everything he can to lift Saints up the table.
“It’s never easy when you are losing,” he admitted.
“But everyone in the changing room believes that we can get out of this situation. We need to dig in and we will. The talking has to stop and we need to start getting results.
“As a player and fan, I don’t want to see us down here. We shouldn’t be. You take the highs and lows but it is up to us as players to get ourselves out this.
“Just because others are not fans or not local doesn’t mean they don’t want it. They are more than ready for the fight. I’ll drive us and give everything, as will the rest of the players.
“I feel there is a lot to come in the second half of the season from us. Most importantly, we need that first result to spur us on.”
