NOW CRAIG SIGNS DEAL Wright hails fixing up latest piece of Perth puzzle
Liam Craig (centre) celebrates a goal he scored at Motherwell this month Liam Craig is the latest St Johnstone player to put pen to paper.
The 30-year-old yesterday signed a new two-year deal at McDiarmid Park as manager Tommy Wright continues to piece together the Perth puzzle.
Craig, who has become a fans’ favourite and is now approaching 300 appearances for the club, joins a growing number to have committed their future to Saints.
Boss Wright told the Perthshire Advertiser: “Liam has signed a new twoyear deal and we’re delighted because he’s a vital member of the squad.
“He can play in a number of positions and always chips in with goals throughout the season.
“So things are really taking shape now, we’ve got the majority of the team signed up for next year and that continuity is important.
“I didn’t have any qualms about bringing Liam back. It didn’t bother me that he’d left for Hibs because he handled the whole thing well.
“He told Steve Lomas what his plans were and still played to a very high level, including scoring in his last game.
“There’s no doubt Hibs are a bigger club so at that time nobody could blame him for taking that opportunity.
“It didn’t work out the way he would have hoped but to me it was a nobrainer to bring him back when he was available again.
“Life it too short to look at things like that, Liam is a quality player and it was a massive thing for us to get him back here.”
Wright is already pleased with how the squad is shaping up for next season but admits he will still be attempting to bring in new faces this summer. He
explained:“I’ll still be looking for two or three new players in the summer but we’ve done the hard work in getting the players we have signed up again.
“The chairman sees the value of stability and long-term planning. “But while we’ve got a lot of our work done, the summer is still going to be very important because with Hibs looking like they’re coming up, things will get even tougher again next season.”
Speaking after signing a new deal in Perth, Craig said:“I’m delighted to get it done. It’s nice the club have shown this commitment to me.
“I had a good time here before I left for Hibs and I’ve enjoyed being back. It has worked out well for me and I’m glad I still have something to offer. I will be 32 when this contract ends but I will be looking to stay even longer.”
Saints were out of action at the weekend as the Scottish national team took centre stage with a victory against Slovenia.
The international break has given Perth players Steven Anderson and Zander Clark time to recover ahead of Saturday.
Providing a latest injury update, Wright said:“Keith Watson has had his operation and he’ll be out for six weeks.
“That’s a better scenario than we expected because we thought it would be longer, so that’s positive news. Chris Kane should be back for the last two or three games of the season, while Anderson and Clark are back training this week.”
Meanwhile, Saints midfielder David Wotherspoon is understood to have attracted the interest of the Canadian national team. The former Perth High School pupil would qualify to play for Canada through his mother.