I’ll still fight for Saints No.1 top
The contest hasn’t stopped, says Clark
Zander Clark isn’t taking the St Johnstone number one jersey for granted despite Alan Mannus leaving the club.
The long-serving stopper makes the move back to Shamrock Rovers after a special and successful seven year service at McDiarmid Park.
But Clark insists there will still be a battle to win and keep hold of a place between the posts in Tommy Wright’s team next season.
“The competition with Alan has been excellent. It has definitely brought the best out in me,” Clark explained to the Perthshire Advertiser.
“I would like to think that the pressure I had put on Alan brought the best out in him too.
“It can only be good for the club when you have two goalkeepers knowing that they need to play at their best to keep a place in the team.
“It was a battle with Alan that I did enjoy. It’s hard when you are a goalkeeper, because you can only play that one position.
“If Alan was in his best form, I needed to be content with a place on the bench.
“Whoever is on form next season will be in the team. It’s never something that you can take for granted.”
Clark admits it will be a strange feeling coming back in for pre-season without Perth regulars Mannus, Steven MacLean and Chris Millar.
But the 25-year-old reckons new signings and a growing number of talented youth players will be able to fill the void.
Clark said: “I’ve said before that Alan Mannus, Chris Millar and Steven MacLean have been great servants to the club.
“And also the experience they have brought to the younger ones in the squad.
“The amount of help Alan has given me over the years has been brilliant.
“I’m sure young Ali McCann and Callum Hendry will say the same about Chris Millar and Steven MacLean in their positions.
“The last game was an emotional day and it is always sad to see good friends leave the club. But I’m sure they will move on and continue to do great.
“The boys that have come in have shown they have the potential to be top players for this club.
“It will be a strange scenario when you come in for the first day of preseason and aren’t greeted by the usual insults from Macca and Midge. Clark knows he will need to be at his best to be Saints’number one
“It will be different but the ones who have come in, and the younger players, have great potential.
“Ali showed in the last three games what he is capable of.
“Callum came back after a long spell out with injury and did brilliant for the goal against Ross County.
“It’s looking like a bright future for the club.”
Saints will be boosted by a longer break due to no involvement in European football this summer.
Clark believes that will be beneficial in the long run when next season kicks-off.
He said: “The way we finished the season after the split, with the performances we put in, is something we can look forward to taking into next season.
“It’s important to get a good preseason under our belts.”
The draw for the 2018/19 Betfred Cup group stages takes place tonight and will be aired live on BT Sport.
Saints enter the draw as a top seed in the North Section alongside fellow Premiership clubs Hearts and Dundee, with recently relegated Ross County taking the fourth seeded spot.
Tommy Wright’s men, knocked out of the competition by Partick Thistle last year, will play their first game of the group stage format on the weekend of Saturday, July 14.