LATEWRIGHT SHOPPING Gordon: I’ll relish battle to keep place in the team
Big-hearted defender Liam Gordon welcomed added competition as St Johnstone bolstered their squad in the January transfer window.
The Perth club signed centre-back Jamie McCart from Inverness earlier this week and were keen to secure his former team-mate Shaun Rooney on a pre-contract.
Boss Tommy Wright was expected to make further moves ahead of the transfer deadline, hinting at getting “one or two loans in”.
Gordon said: “Any competition is good for the squad and I want the best players here. If it’s someone in my position, I welcome the chase.
“I’ll fight every day for the jersey on a Saturday. Nobody likes to get comfortable so you want someone breathing down your neck.
“That only makes you a better player so Jamie arriving is great for me and for the squad.
“Everyone needs a wake up call at times. If that means bringing in new players, then that is great. If we weren’t able to bring anyone else in I still think we have a good enough squad to push up the table.”
McCart was thrown on for his debut at half-time with Saints trailing 3-0 against Celtic on Wednesday.
“Jamie came on and did well for the 45 minutes,” said Gordon. “He got a clean sheet and we need to put another run of them together.
“Hopefully Jamie can be a really positive signing for us and help to improve the squad. I played against him when he was younger at Celtic and he was always someone I thought was a good player.
“He went out on Wednesday night and was composed on the ball. His organisation was good as well, talking to myself and Jason Kerr.
“I thought the three of us worked really well together. Hopefully it’s something we can look forward to in the future.”
On the Celtic disappointment, Gordon added: “If we got carved open by all the goals, then you put your hands up. But I felt that all three goals were preventable.
“That is the most frustrating part from our point of view, but we need to take positives with how we came out in the second half.
“They are so sharp, technical and if you make a mistake you get punished. You never want to lose any goals as a defender, let alone three.”
Next on the fixture card for Saints is a home game against bottom-ofthe-table Hearts, boosted by a 2-1 win over Rangers last week.
Gordon said: “Hearts are a massive club and when they are doing well they will bring a big crowd. It’s going to be a tough test but we’re more than capable.”
McCart is looking forward to shining for Saints after agreeing his two-and-a-half year deal.
“As soon as I signed the precontract I think the two clubs were talking about a possible transfer,” he said.
“The full week I was sitting by my phone, just waiting for a text or call. I’m absolutely delighted to be here and it’s a step up to the Premiership.”
Exiting McDiarmid Park this month is Estonian defender Madis Vihmann, who joined last summer.