Pre-season training gets underway

After what seems like no time at all, the players returned to training today with hard work being put in under baking sunshine.

Only Jason Kerr was absent from the list of 22 signed first team players – the defender has been given a few extra days off following his summer involvement with the Scotland Under 21 squad - but he will meet up with the rest of the squad ahead of them flying out to Austria for a six day pre-season camp.

Tommy Wright told the Saints Official Website: “I’m really pleased to be back after what has been a slightly longer break than has become the norm in recent times when we’ve been in the Europa League but that extra time has been vital to the players who got very little break a year ago.

“We’ve got three days hard work here in Perth before heading away and it is great that the club has been able to take the boys abroad where a lot of great preparation work can be done. There will be one, possibly two, bounce games at the camp. The first of those is against a Croatian side at the weekend – perhaps a tougher opposition than I might have wanted for the first game but it’s all about fitness.”

One person not present today was Callum Davidson and the club can confirm that Callum has Saints to take up a coaching role at Stoke City.

Tommy says of the loss of his Assistant: “We had five wonderful years together and I felt we were a great partnership but it’s a fantastic opportunity for Callum and neither I nor the club were going to stand in his way. He’s been long-term friends with Gary Rowett and so it’s a great chance for him.

“I know exactly what I want to do in terms of a replacement and we’re well down the road - there are just a couple of I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed.”

PHOTO: David McMillan, Stefan Scougall, Kyle McClean, Ally McCann and Richard Foster start the hard work for the new season