St Johnstone will address the problems with the McDiarmid Park playing surface which have resulted in pitch inspections in recent weeks. Saints are hoping to improve drainage with winter ahead, but warned the problem will be difficult to rectify in full during the SPL campaign.

General manager Grant Cullen told the club's official website: "We have called in a company who have worked with several SPL sides including Motherwell and they have given us a detailed report which we are acting on.

"We have had them bring in a specialist machine which essentially provides an 'earthquake' to the whole surface in a bid to improve drainage and this will hopefully help things in the short term.

"However, they have identified a deep-lying drainage problem well below the grass level and beneath the under-soil heating pipes.

"There is only so much we can do in mid-season but we are working hard to improve it as much as we can.

"The work carried out now is one of several measures we can take and hopefully we will get a break from the prolonged rain fall of recent weeks."