St Johnstone's Wright hopes for better weather after missing out on foreign trip

Tommy Wright (far right) will make do with St Johnstone's regular training facilities during the winter break

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright is hoping "the weather eases" after not being given the funds for a training camp in warmer climes.

Saints and their Scottish Premiership counterparts are on hiatus for their winter break and will not be back in action until late January.

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The Perth side's next scheduled fixture is away to Albion Rovers in the Scottish Cup on 20 January.

"It would have been important to go away," said Wright.

"It's good motivation for the players, something to look forward to. You can get extra sessions in on the grass, warm-weather training, it gives everybody a lift.

"But if I'm not given any money to do that then I can't do it, which is disappointing, because I know the benefits of it. The club have to look after the purse strings, but the benefits would have outweighed by far the costs.

"In particular I'll be hoping that the weather eases off and we don't end up with bad weather, because obviously that's going to limit your preparation.

"It's something I worked hard to convince the chairman to do, but he couldn't do it.

"The trip we looked at had a game at the end of it, which is important. We are going to end up playing a game between ourselves.

"It's being as professional as you can and doing things the right way. Unfortunately no funds were made available for me to do that."