MICHAEL’S STAY OF EXECUTION
O’Halloran puts Clyde to sword and targets new Saints deal
MICHAEL O’HALLORAN emerged from the shadows to stake his claim for a new deal.
The Saints striker returned to the front line as boss Callum Davidson rested regular starters for the top-six clash with Rangers in midweek and the Scottish Cup quarter final tie next weekend.
And the 30-year-old flyer, who was signed-up twice by former boss Tommy Wright, crafted an early opener for Guy Melamed before killing off Clyde’s part-timers with a slick 21st-minute strike.
It was the one-time Rangers winger’s first goal since August and now he’s looking for a chance to play his way into an extended stay at McDiarmid
O’Halloran, who endured an injury-plagued spell Down Under after leaving Ibrox, said: “Am I open to staying? Yes, this is the place I’ve been my happiest and played my best football. I’m sure the manager will have a word with me.
“It’s been a while since I played, I’ve been keeping myself ticking over. So I was happy to play and contribute to a good team performance.
“It was nice to get 90 minutes in my legs. I just want to play my part in the team in the last part of the season. We got two early goals and that settled it. We would have liked to have got a few more but it’s all about getting into the next round.”
O’Halloran showed composure to roll in Melamed for the striker’s seventh goal in 2021.
And he didn’t look like a man who hadn’t scored for eight months as he stroked a finish under stand-out Slovakian keeper Matej Vajs after being played in by Stevie May.
O’Halloran is desperate to make up for lost time sitting on the bench and believes the Betfred Cup win and a top-six finish has Saints oozing belief for challenges ahead.
He said: “We can only take the positives from winning the League Cup. It’s a massive week but that’s what you want at this time of the season. You want big games.
“We have done that by making the top six so we get to face the big sides and if you are going to win the cup you have to go to difficult places.
“We want to finish as high up the table as possible and if we get to the Scottish Cup Final there’s a chance of European football as well.
Gaffer Davidson said: “It was a job well done and in the first half we were very good. I really enjoyed the performance. We probably should have scored a couple more.”