Published on Monday 27 February 2012 04:16
LEE Croft believes St Johnstone are capable of making a late push for third place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League after the on-loan Derby winger was outstanding as he scored in the win over Dunfermline on Saturday.
The convincing victory moved St Johnstone to within nine points of third-placed Motherwell and with a game in hand.
And, while manager Steve Lomas is trying to keep control of expectation levels, Croft is looking further up the table.
He said: “The manager has told us it would be a great achievement to finish in the top six.
“But, if we play as we can, then I believe it's possible to catch Motherwell in third.
“It's in their hands, but if we show enough consistency, I believe we can do it.
“We need to keep plugging away and the main aim is still to make sure that we finish in the top six.”
Lomas hailed his players’ attitude and application after a dominant display over the troubled Pars.
The McDiarmid Park club are on a far smaller budget than some of their top-six rivals and Lomas believes that his team are “overachieving”.
But for Croft, St Johnstone's team spirit more than makes up for any lack of cash.
He said: “The manager talks about our budget being minute compared to other clubs.
“That shows what a great spirit and quality we have here. Mixed in with the passion, the spirit allows us to do well.
“Success for us means claiming a place in Europe and we’ll look to keep progressing as we try to do that.”
Croft is now finding his feet in Scotland and was one of St Johnstone's star men against Dunfermline.
Murray Davidson and Callum Davidson had put Lomas’ side 2-0 up at the break with two goals in two minutes. Croft then sealed the win after Paul Burns had pulled a goal back for the Pars.
He said: “We passed the ball well and looked a real threat going forward. The gaffer said before the game that we had to set a good tempo.
“We knew if we did that we would have the ability to win the game.”
As for Dunfermline they remain rooted to the bottom of the SPL table and manager Jim McIntyre was left shocked by his side’s poor performance.
Afterwards he said: “It’s the most disappointed I’ve felt in weeks – it was nowhere near good enough.”
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