Callum Davidson provides injury update after Ibrox re-jig forces Daniel Phillips' debut

Injury to Cammy McPherson disrupted Callum Davidson’s plans for handling Rangers at Ibrox but, despite a 4-0 reverse, the St Johnstone manager was pleased with his team’s performance.

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson during the cinch Premiership match with Rangers. (Picture: Robert Perry/PA Wire.)

In particular Daniel Phillips, pitched in to cover the enforced change and granted an earlier than planned debut, came in for praise and patrolled the middle of the park in the midst of John Lundstram and Ryan Jack.

“I wasn’t wanting to play Daniel quite as quick as this," Davidson said. “I didn’t think he had played enough minutes but he has come on and put in a shift at Ibrox. He coped really well but was tired in the last 10-15 minutes but all credit to him for putting a shift in.

“We’re really disappointed to lose Cammy - it’s a thigh strain – and for me he needs to play regular games to cement his place in the team. It’s a big blow to lose him and to make a change so early, limited what I was going to do substitution-wise in the second half.”

That said, Saints had a chance to score when Borna Barisic chested down a cross to Theo Behr inside the six-yard box which the striker swept wide.

“They’re a very good team and when you come here, you have to take your chances. I thought Theo has got to take his chance and give us something to play for in the game.

“When you concede the first one, then it becomes difficult - what do you do? I thought we performed well second half but I thought it was a poor second goal as well.

“So for me it was two poor goals leading for it to be quite comfortable for Rangers which I didn’t think my lads deserved because I thought we put a lot into the game.

"For probably 75-80 minutes I was actually quite happy. In the first half I was quite pleased with the rest of our shape and how we went about our business.

“I thought we conceded a really sloppy goal but I didn’t feel Rangers opened us up too much and Remi wasn’t really getting peppered.”

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