SCOUGALL READY TO WALK TALL ON HIS SAINTS DEBUT

FOR Stefan Scougall, doubts over his ability to play professional football due to his size have always been the height of nonsense. In an era dominated by mini magicians like Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, how could it even be an issue? Scougall was released by first club Hibs after six years as a trainee, with the Easter Road side informing the 5ft 7in midfielder he was too small to make the grade. Ever since breaking through at Livingston, where he was hailed as a future Champions League player by director of football John Collins, the playmaker has often had to battle dismissive suggestions about his build. Tonight, when the ex-Sheffield United man makes his St Johnstone debut against FC Trakai of Lithuania, he hopes to prove yet again that size doesn’t matter as he tries to help Tommy Wright’s side hit the heights in Europe. ‘Personally, I feel I have to prove people wrong every day — in training and in games,’ said the 24-year-old, who replaces midfielder Danny Swanson at Saints after his move to Hibs. ‘I have done that over the years. When I was younger, a lot of coaches said I wasn’t big enough to play football. ‘That was hard to take, but it’s about how you bounce back from it. Even when I was in England I had some people say: “You’re not big or strong enough”. But my game is about getting on the ball, driving at players and trying to create things. It’s not about winning headers or tackles. I’m not saying all the best players are small but, technically, they are probably superior.’ It may be Scougall’s European debut tonight but don’t expect him to freeze on the big occasion. In 2014, he scored for Sheffield United in a 5-3 FA Cup semi-final loss against Hull at Wembley. The following year he featured in a two-legged Capital One Cup semi-final defeat to Spurs. In between those glamour ties was the routine matter of playing to big crowds at Bramall Lane. ‘It was a rollercoaster down south,’ said Scougall. ‘Sheffield United is a big club. We were getting 20,000 fans in League One. When I joined, we battled relegation but got promoted. ‘Under Nigel Clough, I played every week but I had three different managers down there. ‘I became a bit-part player and went on loan. But I still played over 100 games in England. ‘I wasn’t just floating about and playing Under-23s. I feel I should have played more but, sometimes, your face doesn’t fit. ‘I’ve not played a competitive game since January. But my time down there made me stronger and I’m raring to go.’ Scougall admits the chance to grace the Europa League helped sway his decision to join Saints. If they beat Trakai, they would be seeded in the second round against Norrkoping of Sweden or Kosovo’s FC Prishtina, and Scougall hopes for a prolonged Euro adventure. ‘A big attraction was European football,’ he said. ‘It would be great to get a real glamour tie.’