Saints go back to basics

By Paul Sculthorpe St Helens and Lions star

We have been through a bad patch at St Helens recently but the last two performances have seen a big improvement and hopefully we are over our slump.

Losing four games in a row, and against some of our biggest rivals, was a serious blow to our confidence.

But our team spirit has never been in question - we've got a great bunch of lads here.

Full-back Paul Wellens has played a major role in Saints' revival

Nor was it ever a question of our ability - we know we are capable of winning any game we take part in.

During our bad run - what I hope will be remembered only as a minor blip - I think we were guilty of lacking concentration - and I include myself in that.

But over the last two games we have shown our true colours.

Our defence especially has been superb - we have only conceded six points in our last two games.

But we are perfectionists here at Saints and I still believe there is room for improvement in our attacking play.

That has been the focus of our training this week and I am hopeful all that hard work will be in evidence against Wakefield and in the upcoming games.

We have also been working on eradicating basic errors - a consequence of poor concentration - and have upped the tempo in training.

The last few days of training have been really tough, and in this morning's session I don't think there was one dropped ball! All the players are looking really sharp.

Mickey Higham has impressed in Keiron Cunningham's absence

Our recent success has been built on the quality of our back three - the two wingers and Paul Wellens at full-back.

They have given us a great platform to build our attacks on. Paul Newlove has also been outstanding all year.

Another boost has been the return of Keiron Cunningham to full fitness and first-team action.

Keiron is a world-class player and having someone like him available again is a morale booster and a huge psychological advantage.

But the strength in the Saints squad means no one, including Keiron, can expect to walk straight into the first team.

Mickey Higham has been having a superb season in Keiron's absence and might just have something to say about giving up the role of hooker!

Mickey is a tough lad who plays well above his weight and I think it will be great for Keiron to have that competition - in fact, it will be good for both of them.