Wotherspoon hopes Saintly act will pay off
Hamilton Accies v St Johnstone
SCORING a hat- trick can be the highlight of ones footballing career, especially if you are a midfielder. For David Wotherspoon that day is still to come, but for the experienced St Johnstone Scottish Cup winner there is more to life than personal triumph.
The 30- year- old had the golden opportunity to net three in the one game against Brechin City on Saturday, but instead he gifted a penalty kick to striker Callum Hendry in a bid to get him off the mark for the season.
Hendry has put in tireless shifts throughout Saints’ season so far, but a lack of goals resulted in his confidence taking a sharp dip.
Wotherspoon is one of the first to recognise Hendry’s hard work up top and that’s why he opted to help his teammate out.
“I was on for a hat- trick and obviously I would have loved to have got one but Callum has been struggling for goals this season,” he said.
“I thought that if he scored the penalty it would be the boost that he needed. Hopefully that’s what has happened.
“I’m confident that it will do him the world of good and that he’ll kick on from there and keep hitting the back of the net. That was my thought process.
“I’ve never had a hat- trick.
I scored two at Ross County and two against Hamilton last season and now two against Brechin.
“I don’t score many goals full- stop! But there is a bigger picture as I’ve said. It’s always been about the team at this club rather than the individual.
“He owes me big time now! He thanked me after on the group chat and I think he thanked me on Twitter.
“He thanked me personally as well. I think he was really grateful but the best way of thanking me is by kicking on now and getting more goals for the team.”
Saints travel to Hamilton this weekend where they will aim to take their League Cup form into Scottish Premiership duties.
The Perth outfit’s win over Accies last term signalled an upturn in form and Wotherspoon is hoping for the same result – and reaction – this time round.
He added: “It was a kickstart to our season, that game. It was two each and Callum [ Hendry] got the winning goal, which just gave us a massive boost for the rest of the season. We just kicked on from there.
“We are hoping to do the same this Saturday coming. It is always a tough game going there, but I feel we have performed well there over the past few years.
“We will be looking to take confidence from the last couple of games, even the games before that where we got beat, performances have been good.
“We can take that into the next game and try and get the three points.”