Barry Douglas knows there is a lot at stake for struggling St Johnstone

Barry Douglas warned livelihoods are at stake as St Johnstone’s struggle at the bottom of the Premiership continued with a 3-1 defeat by Rangers on Sunday.

The Perth side were all over the place in the first half as they lost goals to Hamza Igamane, Vaclav Cerny and Mohamed Diomande.

Although Saints defender Jack Sanders reduced the deficit early in the second half, it ended in a ninth game without a win to leave Simo Valakari’s men nine points behind second-bottom Hearts ahead of the Scottish Cup tie against Motherwell this week.

Douglas, who signed from Polish side Lech Poznan in October, came off the bench in the second half after recovering from a “severe” calf tear which kept him out since November. n

The defender said: “It was difficult being out. Trying to come in and help the boys and then getting a little bit of an unusual injury set me back.

“It’s been a bit frustrating. But the challenge is there for us. There’s no more motivation we need than to just look at the table.

“It’s boys’ livelihoods, and that’s the reality of it. A lot of boys need to realise that. It’s not just about what we do on a pitch; it affects everyone else surrounding the club.

“There’s still loads to play for. In this league, two, three consecutive games changes the outlook of where you are in the table.

“So I’ll be amplifying that in the dressing room, that it is one game at a time now, starting with the cup.”

The 35-year-old former Dundee United, Wolves and Leeds player, who signed until the end of the season, believes he still has a big part to play for the club during the rest of the campaign.

The former Scotland international said: “I’m not just in there to speak and guide, I’m in there to help the boys and I still feel I’m able to do that, or else I wouldn’t be here.

“It’s a challenge. There’s no getting away from that. It’s going to be a different kind of challenge that I’ve ever been involved in, but exciting for me nonetheless.

“Of course, we don’t really want to be in this position, but it is what it is. The table doesn’t lie. So we just need to take it game by game, and let’s see where we end up.”