Saints fans celebrate their cup win in style

SAINTS fans gathered outside McDiarmid Park to see the St Johnstone team bus arrive back in Perth carrying the League Cup trophy.

Supporters turned up outside the ground to celebrate a historic win for their club.

Despite a police presence and flares being let off, one witness described the scene as “good natured”.

Fans started arriving at the ground around 6.30pm to cheer in the players and management team who were returning to the Fair City from Hampden with the League Cup for the first time in St Johnstone’s 136-year history.

The Fair City club secured a hard fought 1-0 win over Livingston in a scrappy game where Shaun Rooney’s header made all the difference.

Fan Scott Campbell summed up his feelings: “I’m like the Perthshire cat that got the cream,” he said. “It’s absolutely fantastic. We had the grit and did what we had to do to lift the cup.”

Evelyn McLaughlan watched the game surrounded by her grandchildren, and dressed in a huge blue bubble-suit.

“I watched the whole game in the costume, I’ve still got it on,” she said, hours after the full-time whistle. “It was brilliant and it has just lifted everyone’s spirits.”

The victory was extra special for Saints supporter Greg Twine who also celebrated his 58th birthday yesterday. He said: “It’s a brilliant way to celebrate because there’s not many win a cup on their birthday.”

The win over Livingston makes Saints the second most successful Scottish club in the last decade in terms of domestic silverware.

Eleanor Sharp wishes she could have been at Hampden to see her team lift the cup. “I’ve been a Saints fan all my life,” she said. “My dad used to lift me over the turnstiles when I was five and I’m 55 now.

“We loved it, but it was a nail-biting last 10 minutes.”

Dan Shek, who runs the Fair City Saints supporters club, hopes fans will be able to celebrate the win properly once restrictions allow.

He said: “I’m ecstatic but I’m also gutted that we couldn’t be there. We’ve got to savour these moments, you don’t know when they’re going to come around again.”

Dan also praised manager Callum Davidson for winning a trophy in his first season managing the club he started and ended his playing career with.

Police were on hand as fans gathered at McDiarmid Park to greet the team bus.

14-year-old Alfy McFarlane and his uncle Garry McDonald cheer from the window. Eleanor Sharp (top) and Greg Twine and his partner Moira share their joy; while Ronnie Simposom just won’t stop banging on about it!