I’M QUIDS IN WITH SAINTS
Stelios banking on Buddies
STELIOS DEMETRIOU knew St Mirren was a gamble worth taking when he went weeks without pay in Cyprus. Now the London-born full-back reckons he’s found a wealth of opportunity as the Buddies underline their claim to be considered title contenders. Jack Ross could take his side top of the table with a victory at home to Brechin depending on Dunfermline’s result against Dundee United. Demetriou, 26, has found a home from home in the Scottish game after extending his stay with Saints in the summer following a successful stint at the club in the second half of last season. The full-back, born a free-kick from Arsenal’s old ground Highbury, moved to his father’s homeland as a three-year-old and was offered the chance to return to Cyprus at the start of the season. But Demetriou said: “It was a bit of a gamble to join St Mirren because the standard of the Cypriot league is quite high. “But if you’re not playing for one of the top five clubs you can find dodgy goings-on around salaries and other issues. It’s one of the reasons I left Cyprus in the first place. At the end of the month, playing for certain clubs, they would say, ‘Here’s a quarter of your salary’. “At other clubs players can go three or four months without pay. Here, the only thing a player needs to focus on is doing well in training and playing, knowing everything else is taken care of in a professional manner.
“I was offered the chance to return home at the start of the season to one of the big clubs but I hadn’t finished what I’d started at St Mirren. I joined in January and knew we had a hard fight to even survive in the Championship at that stage. But the manager told me of his plans and sold me on his vision.
“I have real potential to progress at St Mirren, both individually and as part of a good team.
“We’re making no bold statements about what we will do this season, we have our feet planted firmly on the ground. “There are some big clubs in this league and sides such as Falkirk and Inverness won’t be where they are for long but we’re determined to build.
“The manager will not stand for any complacency against Brechin and neither will the players.”
Demetriou is a former Under-21 international and also played in Bulgaria where he struck up a friendship with former Hearts midfielder Ruben Palazuelos.
He added: “I followed Scottish football because Ruben played here. I left the UK as a child because my dad’s in hotel management and wanted to return home after 25 years in London but I’ve been keen to break into the British game.
“I’m enjoying my time at St Mirren. It’s a wonderful experience to play football and live life in a different country.”