It wasn’t easy being frozen out but I had to Mann up
ICT v ST JOHNSTONE Alan relishing being No.1 again after Clark’s form kept him on sidelines Anier has goal new ambition
ALAN MANNUS was gutted when he lost his place as first-choice St Johnstone keeper to young pretender Zander Clark.
The Northern Ireland ace enjoyed being part of the Euros in France last summer and was in possession of the No.1 jersey when the season started.
But he took ill after an international break and had to play second fiddle as Clark grabbed his chance.
Mannus had to bide his time as Clark clocked up nearly 30 games on the spin, with boss Tommy Wright touting him for a Scotland call.
But the Irishman stepped up to the plate in a recent win over Motherwell when Clark suffered a hip injury and reminded fans of his credentials with stand-out displays against the Steelmen and Hamilton.
He had an easy ride en route to a clean sheet as Saints beat Hearts in midweek and trimmed the gap on third-placed Rangers to just six points.
Now he is determined to keep the momentum going with another shutout against Inverness today.
Mannus said: “I’m enjoying being back in the team. It would be great to play at Inverness.
“It has been a frustrating season but it is part of football, being in and out of a team. I’ve just tried to get on with it.
“This is my job and I go about it professionally, just as I would if I was working on a company project outside football and someone got a higher position.
“You might not be happy but you don’t just throw in the towel, you get on with it.
“It was good still being listed in the international squad, what with not playing regularly at my club. I feel I’ve done well when I’m away with the squad and still want to be involved. “I want to play against Inverness but there are no guarantees. It doesn’t work like that. If I play I’ll make the most of it but I have no expectations. “My last full game before this was at Inverness. I was ill and Zander came in, took his chance and stayed in. “We know it isn’t easy up there. We lost in August and they were the better team that day. You look at the table and might say we are favourites but playing them late in the season means it will be even tougher. “They are in a relegation fight and there are fewer games left for them to get out of trouble. But if we play like we did against Hearts we will give ourselves a good chance of winning.” Mannus has never been one to keep tabs on the table but now he’s showing a keen interest. He added: “I hadn’t looked at the table for a while and didn’t realise we were getting close to Rangers. “It shows you how well the team has done. At the start of the season you’d have thought Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers would have been well clear of the rest. “It probably didn’t enter anyone’s head we might be fighting with Rangers for third place at this stage. “In saying that it is still a long shot but you never know what might happen. “They will still be favourites so we will just concentrate on finishing above Hearts.” HENRI ANIER insists Inverness can find that extra spark to haul themselves off the foot of the Premiership.
And the hitman is hoping he can finally provide it after going 10 games without a goal since he moved to the Highlands.
Caley Thistle are back at the bottom of the table after following up three successive draws with a 1-0 defeat at Aberdeen in midweek.
They need a win at home to St Johnstone today to stop themselves from being cut adrift in the battle against relegation.
Former Motherwell and Dundee United striker Anier has yet to find his shooting boots since joining Richie Foran’s men.
But the Estonian isn’t panicking and would love to end his drought by gunning down Saints this afternoon.
Anier said: “It would be a bonus. Football is a team game and I’m a striker so I’d like to score. It’s the greatest feeling. But everyone is working hard across the park and I’m sure it’ll come We just need to create chances to put ourselves in position to score goals.”
Anier insists Caley’s performances have been decent – even though their last win came against Rangers back in February.
But he knows it’s points that matter more than performances at this stage of the season and is determined to help them move away from danger.
The 26-year-old said: “We did well at Aberdeen and we just need a bit of luck.
“I’m confident and all the players feel the same. We need to be positive and keep our heads as it’s the only thing that will get us out of this. Everyone thinks we can climb the table so hopefully we can take three points against St Johnstone.”
Inverness are three points behind secondbottom Hamilton with seven matches remaining but Anier is positive.
He said: “Positivity is one of the main factors. We’ve been training hard every day on tactics and techniques.”