Watson wants another Tay to cherish over Dens men
TAYSIDE derbies were good to Keith Watson in his Tannadice days and he’s hoping his luck rolls over now he’s at St Johnstone.
The Perth club are hard on the heels of fourth-placed Hearts but nailing down their top-six status gets priority status as they seek to avenge a 3-0 defeat from rivals Dundee at New Year.
Watson, 27, admits Saints were deflated by a last-gasp 3-2 defeat to Rangers and now they’re desperate to bounce back against the Dark Blues. The former United defender said: “The derbies have been good to me. I don’t think I’ve been in a losing team against Dundee. I scored a couple at Dens as well.
“We didn’t play them every year because we weren’t always in the same league but there were a few cup games as well. Derbies are always really enjoyable. This will be my first experience of playing against Dundee for St Johnstone and I can’t wait.
“I was on the bench when we lost at Dens. It’s down to the manager if I play in this one but we want the win to get closer to securing our top-six position.”
Boss Tommy Wright has challenged his players to improve on a dodgy home record – just four wins from 13 games – and stretch their advantage on Dundee to 10 points.
Watson, a summer signing from St Mirren, added: “It’s a big game because Dundee want to get closer to us.
“They were on a poor run at one point and near the bottom of the league. It didn’t look too good for them.
“But, credit to Dundee, they’ve signed well and kicked on. They have progressed up the league and have a great chance of making the top six.
“The boy Marcus Haber has been at St Johnstone before and played down south. He can cause us some problems.
“And I played against Henrik Ojamaa a few times when he was at Motherwell. He’s very sharp.
“But the reason the game is so big is we can go 10 points clear of them. Our form isn’t the greatest at McDiarmid Park but what a great way to run it round.”