Davidson tempted to shuffle the deck for tie
CALLUM DAVIDSON has hinted that changes could be in the offing as St Johnstone take on Clyde this weekend. The Perth outfit go up against Danny Lennon’s side in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup with a quarterfinal against either Rangers or Celtic the prize at stake.
Davidson shuffled his pack last Saturday as Saints were narrowly defeated by Aberdeen in the Premiership with David Wotherspoon, Liam Craig, Guy Melamed and Stevie May all dropping to the bench.
Craig Bryson, Glenn Middleton, Craig Conway and Chris Kane all came in, but ahead of tomorrow evening’s kick-off against The Bully Wee, Davidson has urged his whole squad to be on their toes.
“I just thought I would give a couple of guys the opportunity to play in the system [against
Aberdeen]. I thought the front three played really well regarding their pressing side and the working hard side,” he said. “I just wanted a little change to freshen things up. I might make two or three changes again. The core will be there, but I think I will change a few. It would be good to have a look at a few and some players have to perform well.
“I’m pretty confident with whoever out of the 17 or 18 players I pick that they will go out and perform to the level that I want. We need to make sure we do that right on Saturday.”
Both Wotherspoon and
Ali McCann have been on international duty in recent weeks and Davidson knows he must manage their game-time in a bid to get the best out of the midfield duo.
He continued: “David Wotherspoon has travelled a lot
St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has hinted at making a few changes for tomorrow’s cup tie with Clyde
and the same with Ali McCann. You have to look after them at this point in the season.
“I think you have to look at the bigger picture. This is going to be Ali’s first full season. A lot of people forget that. He obviously played last year but the season got cut short.
“This is his first time at going deep into the season. He has been away with Northern Ireland, so he hasn’t really been getting a break. He has been continuously on the go.
“I would only look after him if I think he needs a break. We have a lot of big games coming up. Saturday is a huge game for us as we want to do well in the cup competition. But at the same time, I want to make sure my players are fresh and strong for the rest of the season.”
On the injury front, only Murray Davidson will be missing for Saints this weekend, despite a midweek scare with midfielder Conway.
Davidson clarified: “We have no fresh injuries. Obviously just Murray Davidson. He is still coming back. Craig Conway got a wee knock on his nose, but he is fine. He got his knock on it earlier on in the season, so we had to have a wee look at it. Apart from that everyone else is good.”
Clyde will travel to Perth tomorrow for what will already be their eighth fixture of the month. Despite their hectic schedule, Davidson is expecting a tough game against the League One opponents.
He added: “I have had a lot of eyes on them. I’ve watched them a lot. We have done our homework.
“They will pick who is the freshest and fittest and come and have a go at us. We need to do everything right and be really professional. If we don’t do that it could be a long afternoon.
“David Goodwillie was here training with us when I was working with Tommy Wright. I know David and he is a very good player. He is someone that we will need to be aware of.”