Everything the winger said to the press at today's press conference. 

Scott, how would you assess the season so far?

Yeah, it's been a wee bit up and down for the team as well as myself. I thought we finished the season really strongly last year, especially as a team. We’ve tried to carry that through pre-season [and up to the present]. I’m trying to find that consistency but I’m keeping my head down in training to show the manager that I want to be in the team and I'm here to fight for my spot.

With this break coming up, are you using it as a chance to refresh?

Definitely. I think as a whole team we need to do that. To stop, refresh, come back ready to go again and kick on. As a player, you will understand a lot of things happening on the pitch this year.

How different is it with VAR on the pitch?

We're the lucky ones, we’ve experienced VAR before in terms of European competitions so we know of everything that comes along with it, the breaks in play, etc. We're used to it at the club and we know what to do with it really.

There has been a lot of pressure on the manager in recent weeks. How has that impacted the squad?

As we’ve said before, it's a case of making sure that we all stick together in the changing room to try and improve our performances to the level they should be at. It's about getting back out on the training pitch and working harder than we have done before.

How do you assess your title chances?

Obviously, we’ve always got to believe we are still in for a chance of the title, every player in that changing room believes.

Is there any margin for error at this point in time?

There’s a long way to go in the season, we know that. We’ve seen what happened last year but we are just focussing on ourselves and making sure we get back to the levels we want to be at.

How big of a result for the players and manager was that win over Hearts?

Every game is a big game here, no matter who you are playing. Every result is a big result. It’s a case of not trying to get too carried away with the outside noise and making sure we focus on ourselves, taking each game as it comes.

How has the last couple of months been for you, personally?

As I said before, it's been the sake of a bit up and down, trying to get into the team and grabbing that spot to make it my own. I'm not here to complain about it, I'm here to get my head down and show the boss when I get my chance to try and stay in the team.

Do you feel you did that in midweek?

Yeah, hopefully. My job was to come on, bring a bit of energy, bring what I can to the team. I obviously want to bring my qualities to the game when I can whether that's from the start or from the bench, my main goal is to help the team.

Do you believe that right-wing spot is one that a few of you are vying for?

There’s always going to be rotation in the team because we’ve got such a big squad, the competition for places in the forward areas is always going to be tough. It's a case of, if you get the shirt for the game to make it your own that if you do enough in the game, you will keep that spot.

You talked about ignoring the outside noise, is it important as a player to withdraw yourself from that?

Absolutely. When you're at a big club like this, there is always going to be noise and you need to keep it quiet as much as possible. Keep everything in the house and make sure we are doing the right things.

Was it good to see Ryan Kent get back to decent form in the second half on Wednesday night? 

I think Ryan obviously has so much expectation on him because we all know what he can do, he's such an important player for us. I think on his day, he's one of the best in the league, absolutely.

Is there apprehension because you need to get points this week?

There's always pressure to get points when you're at a big club. We can take the confidence from that past result but it's trying to take as much confidence from each game, taking the positives and negatives from each game, work on them and take them toward the next game.

Why do you think you have struggled against the low block this season and what have you been doing as a team to rectify that?

At St Johnstone, I think we started the game quite well, we created chances, I think it was just a case of not taking them. When you play against a low block, it's important to get an early goal and if you don't, it gives the opposition a bit more confidence to grow into the game. It's important for us that we come out of the traps quickly, to get an early goal, to try and build on that.

Borna Barisc has been selected for the Croatia WC squad. How pleased are you for him?

It’s absolutely fantastic news for Borna, well deserved. I think he's been in good form. It's such an honour to be called up for your national team, especially in such a big competition so everybody will be watching Borna over this break and cheering him on.

St Mirren have been very good at home so far this season, what are you as a team expecting from them and this match?

It will be a tough game, they have had good results. It's a case of us focussing on ourselves when we get there and making sure we bring a top level of performance.

Some fans have raised questions about the team’s fitness levels this season, what would you say to that?

We had a really strong pre-season with the boss and I think we’ve been strong in games. It's because of the level we’ve played against this year and some games have been really tough. It's a case of us taking this break coming up and trying to refresh and kick on when we come back.

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