Boss:Just beinwith ashout
Liam Craig
Liam Craig and Paul Sheerin go back a long way.
But the St Johnstone midfielder hopes it is he who is smiling at fulltime tomorrow and not the interimAberdeen boss.
Sheerin, a stalwart during his playing days in Perth, is currently in charge of the Dons ahead of new manager Stephen Glass taking over.
While they will catch-up after the game, Craig wants to be the one with a victorious smile on his face and the bragging rights. “Paul is a top boy,” Craig said. “And he was a top player when I played with him.
“I saw his goal against Dundee was posted the other day. That was the quality he had.
“We’re both left-footed and played on that side. And we both weren’t very fast either so had a lot of similarities.
“I’ve been close with him for a number of years now and he is someone I can phone for advice. “I have spoken about giving young players advice, but I still look to people like Paul and the manager for advice myself. “He was brilliant with me when I first came to the club. “I talk to him often but won’t be speaking to him this week ahead of the game.
“I’ve had some good nights out with him but I just hope it’s me who is smiling on Saturday night – as much as I like him!”
The McDiarmid Park match-up represents Saints’ opening top-six fixture and Craig realises a fast start is required to catch fifth place.
Nudging ahead of Livingston – who currently sit four points better off – could potentially bring European football back to Perth.
Craig said: “There is still a buzz about the place after winning the League Cup, finishing in the top six and beating Dundee at the weekend.
“We’re looking forward to the five league games and seeing if we can finish fifth and catch Livingston.
“A win tomorrow can take us a long way to doing that.”
Craig has represented Saints in Europe against Eskisehirspor of Turkey and Lithuanian side FK Trakai. Of course, he wants more.
“It’s great for players, individually and collectively as a club, to experience it,” he told the PA.
“The fact that we’ve had so many European trips over the last decade is incredible. It’s going to be difficult to even finish fifth. Livi are four points clear and have a better goal difference.
“Regardless of where we end up, we want to finish the season strong. We’re in a good place right now with the level of consistency.
“Whatever happens we’ll look back and reflect on a League Cup win and finishing in the top six.
“If we can add European football to that, it would be incredible.”
Finishing this campaign like they did in 2015/16 would be most welcome. Saints went unbeaten in the top six.
“We won four and drew one that year,” Craig recalls. “We beat Celtic in the second last game of the season to make it four wins out of four.
“We have often finished seasons strong and we’ll look to do that again.”
It’s all about being in with a chance of fifth place when the final fixture of the season swings around.
Manager Callum Davidson is craving a grandstand finish to St Johnstone’s top-six campaign.
Currently four points back of Livingston, the race to catch them begins tomorrow at home against Aberdeen.
“The aim is to give ourselves a chance going into the last game against Livingston,” Davidson said.
“If fifth place is up for grabs that will be a really exciting end to the season.
“It’s a tough ask because it’s very hard to pick up points when you’re playing the top five sides in the country, and two of them are Rangers and Celtic. But we’ll give it our best shot.
“The better we do the more it benefits the club.
“If we finish fifth will it help me get more money? Hopefully. We want to keep players at the club and bring a few new ones in.”
Saints have often pieced together a strong end to the season in recent years.
But Davidson recalled: “When I was playing and we got into the top six we lost every game! Since then there have been some strong finishes at the club.
“We don’t have the crowds but we’ve got the big teams to play, which is great.
“It’s a brilliant achievement to get into the top six and these games are ones to look forward to and enjoy.
“We certainly don’t take it for granted. We’ll try and win as many games as we can and hopefully that will be enough to finish fifth.”
Davidson, as well as topsix preparations, has been keeping tabs on the club’s loan players.
One of those is 18-year-old defender Aaron Steele who has joined East Fife until the end of the season.
“We have been working really hard with all the young players to get them some games,” Davidson said.
“It is really difficult so it is good for Aaron to get out and experience league football. We will be watching him closely, like we do with all our loan players.
“He is an out and out defender, a Frazer Wright type. That is something I like to see.”