St Johnstone: Tommy Wright rues poor start at Motherwell

St Johnstone's poor start to the game at Fir Park was crucial in the 4-0 defeat by Motherwell, according to manager Tommy Wright.

But he insisted that the scoreline was not a fair reflection of the game.

"We didn't start the game well, which was key," said Wright. "We let them get a good foothold in the game and the tempo they played at.

"It is a disappointing day for us, but it could have been 6-4 to them because there were a lot of chances."

A John Sutton goal was all that was between the sides at the break.

"Motherwell were excellent and started the game really well, but it you look at the goals, we have contributed to every one," said Wright, whose team hit the post through Dave Mackay and Stevie May.

"I think it was about 15 minutes before we passed to one of our own players.

"It's a strange game at times because it could have been 4-3 at half-time.

"The goals are poor from our point of view, ill-discipline and not dealing with one against ones, giving away soft free-kicks to a team that has good delivery.

"But we have come away from home and created a lot of chances and we failed to take them."