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Six-time semi-final loser Liam Craig tells of the moment he finally got his hands on a trophy..
LIAM CRAIG sat crouched on the Hampden pitch as he savoured the moment.
The St Johnstone midfielder, 34, admits their Betfred Cup win over Livingston fulfilled a lifetime ambition which he feared was beyond him in the twilight of his career.
Opting for solitude as team-mate Shaun Rooney led the karaoke inside the dressing room was about family, friends and finally shaking off the tag as a six-time semi-final loser.
An emotional wreck, alone with his thoughts, Craig admits lifting the trophy with a triumph over Livingston on Sunday forced him to make his excuses and take some time out from the post-match party.
He said: “Honestly, I had to get out of the dressing room. For a change it wasn’t Shaun being too loud in there. I was getting too emotional. It got to me as soon as the final whistle blew.
“I’ve worked all my days for one like this. Having lost six semi-finals, eventually winning one to get to a final was great. Then to play in it and win it is incredible. To win it with this club makes it even more special.
“When I was 28 and didn’t even have a club I definitely couldn’t have dreamt of a day like this.
“I’m 34 now and on the morning of the game I was waiting for the team bus with young Alex Ferguson who is 17. Some players will win loads of trophies. Good luck to them – but I’m never going to forget this week.
“I was speaking to my family on the pitch. They’d sent a card to the ground on Monday. Wee things like that have meant a lot in the build-up. It was saying: ‘Good luck daddy’ and had loads of pictures of moments we’d shared on the pitch.
“Memories like that live forever. They’ve been through a lot with me – especially when I was relegated with Hibs. That was tough. Then I was out of contract.
“I’d have loved them to be at the game but I’m just glad I can go back to the house and show them the medal.”
Craig’s second spell at McDiarmid Park after a two-year stint at Hibs has coincided with their first ever League Cup success as he helped bank only a second major trophy thanks to Rooney’s headed winner.
The veteran insists the absence of fans at Hampden didn’t take any shine off their success as Perth punters more than played their part in the build-up. But he admitted the cup final was more of a tear jerker than a classic. He said: “Listen, the game was horrible. It was rubbish, apart from a great goal for Shaun, but it will be a game that will never be forgotten by St Johnstone fans.
“I know how much it will mean to our supporters. I drove through the town on Saturday after training because I wanted to take everything in.
“The stadium is on the outskirts so you don’t get a feeling of what’s going on. I made sure I saw everything on social media as well. I didn’t want to miss anything and I don’t want to forget anything.
“It took me 500-odd games to win a trophy and I know I’ll not be playing 500-odd more.
“To do it for this club and those supporters who have been nothing but brilliant to me means so much.
“That’s why I had to walk away from the dressing room because I was finding it tough, I have to admit.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve hardly slept
I wanted so much to play at Hampden and I didn’t want to get beat. I’ll remember this forever LIAM CRAIG
since the Motherwell game last Saturday. I wanted so much to play at Hampden and I didn’t want to get beat. I’ll remember this day forever.”
Craig was part of the Saints side which climbed out of the Championship and into the top flight 12 years ago.
Now he believes Sunday’s final was another step into St Johnstone immortality.
He said: “The spirit that we had when we won promotion in 2009 is still here today.
“The boys who won the cup in 2014 were a great group and
I wasn’t jealous of what they did but winning a cup with this club was the one thing I hadn’t done. It’s incredible to do it now.
“Seeing the photograph of this team going up on the wall at the ground will be a huge thing for me.
“Hopefully this club will go on to achieve even more success with this young squad.”
There was also a special mention for fellow midfielder Murray Davidson who had to sit out of the clash through injury.
And it was a double dose of heartache after suffering the same fate in the club’s Scottish Cup win seven years earlier.
He said: “I had a moment with Murray on Saturday when it was just the two of us in the dressing room. That was special.
“He knew he was missing out on the game but that’s the type of player he is. His semi-final performance was the reason we got to the final in the first place. It epitomizes everything this club is about.
“Him not playing is the only downside but he knows what he has done to help us win the cup.”