SANEL JAHIC waited as Tommy Wright finished delivering his assessment.
The feeling will have been familiar for the 31-year-old given he has spent the past six weeks sitting submissively, but on this occasion his patience permitted him to be privy to the manager's evaluation of his own qualities.
Saturday's cup victory marked the Bosnian's first start for St Johnstone, his first month-and-a-half in Perth having previously yielded less than 15 minutes of competitive action, and Wright spoke of his composure on the ball, his ability to pick a pass and his serene presence. He also made mention of the manner in which the defender tired in the closing stages, understandably so given his relative inactivity this season.
And therein lies the rub for Jahic. His initial inability to find employment after leaving Turkish club Karabükspor at the end of last term has caused him to lose his place in Bosnia's national team at the most inopportune moment in their short history. Safet Susic's squad will be in Brazil in the summer, but Jahic will not be among them unless he is playing regularly.
So while on Saturday he scored the goal that ensured St Johnstone's passage to the next round, it remains entirely possible that the centre-back might be elsewhere by the time they actually play their last-16 tie in early February. His short-term agreement with the club expires in the first week of the new year and neither Wright, nor Jahic himself, were willing to commit to an extension.
Jahic flitted around the issue but the implication was blunt: he would like to stay, but only if he is a regular in the St Johnstone XI. "We don't speak about this right now," he said. "I want to give my best until January and then we will see. I need to play, and play well, if I want to be in the list for the World Cup. I have had to be patient but if I play well here I hope the coach will include me."
Given that he has been left out in recent weeks in favour of a central defensive partnership comprising two full-backs in Dave Mackay and Tam Scobbie, his reticence is not surprising. That said, St Johnstone had conceded just twice in their five games prior to Saturday with that pairing, although the introduction of Jahic in tandem with Scobbie on Saturday did not prevent them keeping another clean sheet.
Mind you, much of that was down to the excellence of Alan Mannus. The goalkeeper made three saves to thwart the SPFL Championship side, who had a goal correctly disallowed, struck the crossbar and spurned at least two further fine chances to haul themselves back into the contest in the final quarter.
Little wonder that John McGlynn cut a frustrated figure afterwards. His side perhaps deserved better but careless defending and profligacy cost them the chance of an upset. Some consolation can be derived from the efforts of Stefan Scougall and Mark McNulty, but that was little comfort to their manager in the aftermath. "If we'd scored, I think we'd have gone on to get another," he said, ruefully.
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