St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has urged David Wotherspoon to be more clinical in front of goal after watching his side held to a goalless draw by Dundee United.
Davidson has hailed the influence of Wotherspoon, who was involved in the majority of Saints’ chances in a frustrating stalemate.
The 30-year-old was denied by a superb diving save from Benjamin Siegrist late on at McDiarmid Park as the home side dominated.
But the former Hibernian player was also wasteful with other opportunities in the United box and Davidson – whose side had netted 12 times in their previous two games – is keen to see improvements in the coming weeks.
He said: “David’s been playing really well. We’re just trying to get him to play higher up the pitch, so he can be more creative – and to keep him there rather than him going all the way back.
“With David playing higher up the pitch the system suits him. He’s an intelligent football player, as everyone can see, and he takes on board the role he is playing for the team.
“When I was first here, he was one of our first signings for Tommy [Wright] and I, and he’s an important part of the team.
“Again, he got into great areas but I would just like him to be a little bit more clinical when he gets into the final third.”
Marc McNulty, making his first start for United since joining on loan from Reading, shot narrowly over in just the third minute, but from 10 minutes in it was St Johnstone who repeatedly threatened the deadlock.
Stevie May might have done better with one chance after being freed by a ball over the top, Jason Kerr headed a Craig Conway corner wide, and Murray Davidson and Craig Bryson shot wide.
It was a similar pattern after the break, with chances for Wotherspoon before Siegrist brilliantly kept out Davidson’s bulleted header from a Wotherspoon corner in the last minute.
It was a better point for United than Saints, with the visitors staying in sixth place in the table.
United manager Micky Mellon said: “The team spirit is terrific. It’s a selfless group, they put the group before themselves.
“They work really hard. We’re really strong on them about being organised and making good decisions.
“We work on that all the time and it looks like it’s bearing fruit.
“If you offered me a clean sheet at St Johnstone and a point at St Johnstone I would hazard a guess I might accept that.”
