By Liam McLeod

Morris is enjoying life in the SPL after his move to Perth

St Johnstone midfielder Jody Morris admits he is concerned about his side's inability to finish teams off.

The Perth side's 1-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock was just the second time they have been shut out this season.

But they have won just three of their 14 league matches and sit only five points ahead of bottom side Falkirk.

"It's getting tiresome. We're giving away stupid goals and then we're not putting away the chances we get at the other end of the park," said Morris.

Despite sitting just behind the Scottish Premier League's top four in the scoring charts, St Johnstone have the poorest defensive record in the top division.

Morris hopes they can continue to find the net but become miserly at the back.

"Against Kilmarnock we conceded a stupid goal against the run of play and once they got their lead they sat in a bit more and it was harder to break them down," the former Chelsea midfielder told BBC Scotland.

"The fact that we gave them a goal enabled them to do that, so we can only look at ourselves.

"Every week in the dressing room we're left saying that we played well but have ended up with no points or we drew but should have won.

"We should have scored a lot more than we have."

The 30-year-old, who has a Uefa Cup-Winner's Cup and FA Cup winner's medal from his eight years at Chelsea, cut a frustrated figure inside McDiarmid Park after their first defeat in four outings.

But despite having the better of the chances once again against the Ayrshire side, Morris does not believe Saints are too good to go straight back down.

"We're newcomers to the league," he added. "We are confident in our ability as a team but we're not automatically going to say that we can't go down.

"I think there are five or six teams that need to be careful and with us being new to the SPL, we're definitely one of those teams.

"We're good enough to stay in this league because in nearly every game we've played in we've had good possession and dominated at some point.

I've got a couple of big mates who'll be playing in South Africa and I'm buzzing about getting to watch them in another World Cup Saints midfielder Jody Morris

"If we were more ruthless in front of goal we would have much more points."

This season is Morris's first in the SPL, having been brought to Perth by his former Millwall team-mate Derek McInnes in February 2008 and helping the club end a seven-year top-flight hiatus.

"I'm loving it (SPL football)," he said. "I've always said Scotland has some decent talent.

"I think a lot of the time, people don't realise how the conditions can hamper a game. You don't always get to see the quality some of the players can produce because the pitches aren't in great condition and the weather's a bit dodgy.

"It's all right when you've got a big stadium like Celtic and Rangers where it can block out the wind, but if you're playing on some dodgy pitches it's going to affect the game.

"A lot of people are quick to criticise Scottish football, but a lot of the time it's not about the players on the park; they have to look at the bigger picture."

Like every English football fan, the Saints vice captain was glued to his television as Fabio Capello's side were drawn alongside the USA, Algeria and Slovenia in their World Cup finals group.

Morris is friends with a number of players who will be part of the England squad, including former Chelsea team-mate John Terry.

"I've got a couple of big mates who'll be playing in South Africa and I'm buzzing about getting to watch them in another World Cup," he said.

"They couldn't have asked for a much better draw but I'm not going to get confident, although I would have expected England to get through whatever group they were in."

"It's when you get to the quarter-finals or semi-finals that you need to worry."

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