Stephen Robinson has received a defensive boost ahead of St Mirren’sPremiership match against St Johnstone with the return of Alex Iacovitti.
The Buddies defender has not featured since September after a serious injury to his hamstring – with the summer signing eager to get back on the pitch.
Robinson has been dealing with a short-handed defence for most of the first half of the season with the latest being the absence of Alex Gogic after his late red card against Motherwell last weekend.
Charles Dunne is also nearing a return but Saturday’s clash is still too soon for the 31-year-old. Resilient Buddies boss Robbo believes that life goes on and will make no excuses.
Giving a squad update and how the return of Iacovitti is a sight for sore eyes, he admitted: “Goga isn’t available, another centre-half. Other than that, we’re good.
“Alex is very close to full fitness. We’ve not been able to get a game into him with the weather. Sometimes life isn’t perfect and you just have to get on with it. He’s trained for three weeks now and he’s trained well.
“He’s a very determined boy. He’s something that we maybe missed in the last two games in terms of the organisation and dominating that six yard box. It’s a big plus to have him available again. It’s one of the main reasons we signed him.
“He’s a threat at the other end as well. But I’ve learned over time that it’s personnel – not set-ups and systems – that cost you goals.
“You need the personnel to go and dominate in the air in a league where there’s long throws; longer balls into your box that you have to deal with.
“For all the good stuff we had in the two games, we were beaten by a corner and then a free-kick into the box. It’s something that we’re really disappointed with.”
The Buddies’ record at McDiarmid Park since being promoted back to the Premiership in 2018 isn’t a promising one. In the 10 matches between the two sides on Perth soil, the Paisley outfit have only won once – April 2022 when Greg Kiltie scored the only goal of the game.
Robinson is eager to get back to winning ways after two frustrating games in which his side dropped points due to late goals. The Northern Irishman has renforced the message to his team that they need to be better in the two 18-yard boxes.
He said: “We were extremely disappointed with the outcome in both games. There was good stuff within the game. We arguably were the better team in both games between the two 18-yard boxes.
“But as I keep telling people, it’s what happens within the 18-yard boxes that matters. We just lacked a little invention or that final pass, the final decision.
“We can work on that, improve on it in January window. The conceding of goals, however, is an issue we have to rectify. We spoke about it as a group and we have to be better.
“If that comes down to personnel, it’s down to me to get that right. There’s a lot of good form in our team. But we have to get things right by being more clinical in the opponent’s box – and defend better in the closing moments of the game.”
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