IF you can't get a game for the champions, you might as well settle for the next best thing.

St Johnstone may be sitting fourth in the Ladbrokes Premiership, but they are, without doubt, the team closest to Celtic at this particular moment in time in terms of delivering results. What's more, they are proving themselves most adept at digging those results out when things are looking very much in danger of going pearshaped.

Eight wins from 11 fixtures have helped improve their league position considerably and reserve a place in the League Cup semi-finals. Saturday's victory in Hamilton ensured they have won five consecutive away games for the first time in almost 20 years.

This is impressive stuff with a little glimpse behind the facts and figures merely heightening admiration for the winning mentality and sheer resilience that the manager, Tommy Wright, appears to be instilling within his squad.

They had their goalkeeper, Alan Mannus, sent-off against Dundee United midway through the first half just over a month ago and went 1-0 down from the penalty spot. Two goals in the last 27 minutes secured the victory.

They had Dave Mackay red-carded at Inverness and were forced to mount something of a rearguard action. Liam Craig got them the points with a penalty at the very end of the game.

On Saturday, they were given the most almighty chasing for the first half-hour. With Steven Maclean missing due to his aversion to artificial surfaces, they lacked cohesion and invention until Graham Cummins nodded them in front against the run of play with five minutes of the first half left and all hell broke loose.

By the midway stage of the second period, Saints were four in front thanks to another goal from Cummins and strikes from David Wotherspoon and the influential Michael O'Halloran. A late free-kick and an even later penalty from Jesus Garcia Tena offered little consolation to a really quite shellshocked home side.

For Darnell Fisher, the culture of winning whatever it takes is nothing new, having spent four years around the fringes at Celtic. His loan spell at St Johnstone, though, is providing him with an opportunity to show he can handle regular first-team football.

This was only his third start since arriving at McDiarmid Park and he was fielded out of position in midfield. There are no guarantees of a game at St Johnstone while, back at his parent club, the likes of young Kieran Tierney is slowly beginning to make a full-back spot his own.

Fisher has no regrets, however. Celtic, he insists, barely crosses his mind. He is more than happy where he is and focused on helping Saints continue their ascent up the table.

"KT is a left-back and I'm a right-back," said Fisher. "He made his first start this season, but I made my first start under Neil Lennon and played over 10 games that season.

"I had my chance in the past and he's had his chance this term. There has been a change of manager and these things happen. KT is a good player and he deserves it.

"KT is 18 and I made my debut at 19 and played games. We're in slightly different situations. He's a great lad and I've got a lot of time for him, but we're different people.

"I'm at St Johnstone now and I need to make the best of the situation and keep doing well. We're up to fourth in the table and we could have been higher because we should have had the points against Partick Thistle.

"I've got a year left at Celtic after this season and whatever happens there will happen. My focus has to be St Johnstone and we'll see where that takes me.

"There is nothing better than playing every Saturday. I played a good few games in a row under Lennon at Celtic and there's nothing better."

Mannus, of course, has regained his place in the first-team from Zander Clark and turned on a fine display at a most opportune time on Saturday. The Northern Ireland manager, Michael O'Neill, was present in the main stand to run the rule over him and his current number one, Michael McGovern, and will have been impressed by the St Johnstone goalkeeper's display.

He made one excellent close-range block from Christian Nade early in the game and produced a number of other pleasing saves over the 90 minutes.

"Alan played really well," said McGovern. "I didn't speak to him afterwards, we just shook hands. He's my room–mate, though, and we get on really well.

"Alan and Roy Carroll are big competition for me with Northern Ireland and I've said that all along. I've played the last five qualifiers, but I know I need to perform as well as I can in every game for the national team and the club.

"I knew Michael O'Neill was there. He comes to a lot of games and he knows what I'm capable of.

"I've always said that I don't see myself as the number one goalkeeper for Northern Ireland, mainly because of the competition. It makes a difference to be playing in a successful team, though, and I just hope I can keep helping out at Hamilton."

Hamilton Academical (4-1-4-1): McGovern; Gordon, Canning, Garcia Tena, Kurakins; Gillespie; Imrie, Crawford, Kurtaj (Docherty 74), Longridge (D'Acol 62); Nade (Morris 55).

St Johnstone (4-2-3-1): Mannus; Shaughnessy, Anderson, Scobbie, Easton; Fisher, Davidson; O'Halloran (Kane 85), Wotherspoon (Thomson 76), Craig; Cummins (Sutton 74).

Referee: Kevin Clancy.

Attendance: 2216.