“The approach of the players was exactly what it needed to be. We came for all three points but have to settle for one. I thought we were the better team but possibly did not do enough to work the goalkeeper to win all three.

“In the first half I thought we were bright. I thought we passed the ball about well. I thought we were the better side and were sharp with our work. We got down the lines a couple of times and got into good areas but we did not do enough to work the keeper.

“In the last thirty minutes or so, just after we made the double change the game became quite tousy. I think from our point of view tiredness came into it.

“I think St Johnstone are a good side and I don’t think many teams will come here and win this season. They are always asking questions of you and you need to stand up to them and I thought we were really robust today and that pleased me.

“With Lewis, Stockley and O’Connor coming in, I don’t think we will be pushed about this season. Potentially that is a game that we would have lost last season.

“The clean sheet pleases me. The way we stood up physically pleased me. We just lacked that bit of quality in the final third. We needed better quality with some of our set play deliveries.

“Jonny Hayes would have given us that quality but I am still very pleased with the players today.

“I thought we were strong. I thought we were robust and won loads of first headers. I thought our central defenders were excellent today. Our central midfielders did not give them a minute. We were bright but the pitch was quite sticky. There were a few times Wes Burns had the ball but it got caught behind him.

“Although I am bemoaning the quality of the set pieces, St Johnstone are very good at defending them. They are also good at asking questions of you at the other end from set plays. We stood up to that.

“We got to our beds at four or five in the morning on Friday. The players did a recovery on Friday afternoon and then we brought them in on Saturday for training before coming down to Perth. We then have an early kick off today. So there were a lot of tired minds but the supporters really helped the players today. Seeing them at both ends of the pitch as we ran out was great for the boys and taking 3,000 down here was tremendous. That energised the players.

“The start was important and we stressed that to the players. We could not afford to start slowly. The start was exactly how I wanted it, we just could not get that goal in the first half that some of our play merited.

“I then thought in the second half both teams just cancelled each other out. You could see the competitive side of both teams as they both wanted to win the game.

“Wes and Miles both did well today and there is more to come from both of them this season. Jonny Hayes is likely to be out for weeks so he is likely to be out until after the international break.”

“Wes and Miles both did well today and there is more to come from both of them this season. Jonny Hayes is likely to be out for weeks so he is likely to be out until after the international break.”