ST JOHNSTONE'S scoring record is less than a goal per game and yet, with only four fixtures left, they could still claim third place in the Scottish Premiership.

Only the seemingly doomed St Mirren, with 26, have scored less than the Perth men who have 31 from their 34 league matches. However, they remain well positioned to claim a Europa League spot thanks to a lot of 1-0 wins. That they scored two against Dundee at Dens Park counted as something of a thrashing.

St Johnstone are perhaps not going to win any neutrals over with their style, but they know how to grind out results. Their manager, Tommy Wright, is one canny operator. After losing Stevie May last summer, he made sure his team compensated for the absence of a 27-goal striker by making them difficult to beat.

There is nothing wrong with that. Winning ugly beats losing with style.

St Johnstone midfielder David Wotherspoon claimed his team's second goal in is side's 2-0 win over a Dundee side who rather upset their manager, Paul Hartley, by turning in what was easily their worst performance of the season.

Wotherspoon was happy to admit that graft over guile has been this season's mantra.

He said: "We work as a team. Even the strikers do their bit. Stevie McLean is non-stop even if someone is out of position he fills in, which is great. He influences the whole team from the front to the back and that's all credit to him and credit to the team, the way we work and play.

"Our defensive record is very good this season and that's what we focus on is not letting in goals. We've not scored so many. However, our defence is great and didn't put a foot wrong against Dundee. You see how well drilled they are.

"It shows in the stats that we are a hard team to beat. We grind down the opposition. We're only four points behind Inverness now and play them next so it's a big game and you never know if we get three points at home against them. So it's quite open."

Wright spoke on Saturday of finishing third and there is every chance given the way his side are playing.

St Johnstone always struggle for attention and yet the Northern Irishman has done a superb job this and last season when he lifted the Scottish Cup.

Wotherspoon said: "The manager has been brilliant towards me and everyone at the club rates him very highly. He's always understanding and you can see by the stats we're ahead of where we were last season.

"He has shown himself to be such a good manager with such a small budget. Our club is not the biggest and we're finishing top six again, which gives credit to him, the club and the boys as well."

Wotherspoon's goal, which went in with the help of Dundee defender Iain Davidson, sealed the win after an early second-half strike by Danny Swanson put St Johnstone ahead.

"I hope it goes down as mine because it looked as if it was going in," said the former Hibs man. "The deflection just moved it more towards the middle of the goals."

Dundee were awful. No other word for it. Their cause was hardly helped when the team's best player this season, Greg Stewart, was sent off for a dive that brought him a deserved second yellow card.

There had been talk before the game about Dundee getting to Europe. But that is not going to happen now. Captain Kevin Thomson insisted that his side would not pack for their holidays any time before the final four matches.

He said: "There are too many characters and a hungry manager in that dressing-room to just let the season fizzle out. It is up to us as a group to keep kicking on and to make sure these last four games don't just pass us by.

"I am always after the boys and hopefully I lead by example. If there is any complacency then I will soon be on at people. But I don't think that (complacency) is the case, it was just a bad day at the office from one to 11. We will now just have to move on and look forward to Friday night when we play Celtic."