Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Davidson believes going out on loan has been of great benefit to McCann
THE progress of St Johnstone midfield player Ali McCann has been further reflected in him being chosen for the Northern I reland U/21 squad.
The 19-year-old has broken i nto Saints’ top team this season and earned rave reviews from McDiarmid Park boss Tommy Wright.
He spent part of last season on loan at Stranraer, which greatly helped his development.
The experience of players like Murray Davidson is helping McCann and the veteran feels going out on loan is a great way of preparing young players for t he rigours of the Premiership.
He said: “When I was around t he same age as Ali I went on loan to Cowdenbeath from Livingston.
“Brian Welsh was the manager with Danny Lennon as his No 2.
“Playing for Cowden in a lower league was much better than reserve football as it was man’s football and you learned a lot more.
“You have to grow up very quickly and I enjoyed my spell with Cowden. I learned so much. It was very beneficial.”
Davidson and McCann are likely to be i n the Saints squad which faces Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Saturday.
The Perth men may be sitting at the bottom of the league but Davidson feels there are positives for them to take.
He said: “It has been a disappointing start but if we keep doing what we are good at we will be OK.
“Also, we are not getting the breaks at the moment.
“We have gone on good runs before, however, and there i s no reason why we cannot go on them again.”
M e a n w h i l e , S a i n t s’ record appearance holder, defender Steven Anderson, has joined Raith Rovers on a season-long loan deal.