The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Manager’s memories of heroes at St Johnstone
Alex Totten on his 13 players who beat Airdrie –
John Balavage – He had a good job on the railways so he didn’t want to go full-time after we got promoted. He was the best keeper in the league and saved a penalty on the day we clinched the title. He was very steady and was one of the few I kept when I took the job.
Mark Treanor – Hard as nails and cool as a cucumber on penalties. He had impressed me at Clydebank. Mark had a high workrate and was very physical. His temperament was ideal for penalties. Bill Shankly used to say at Liverpool that you only really know how good someone is once you sign him. Mark was one of those.
Don McVicar – When I went to Muirton I was in no rush to name my captain. Don impressed me as a leader so he got the job.
Dougie Barron – Dougie was very consistent. He was quite pacey and could read the game. He deserved his testimonial with the club.
Paul Hegarty – I’d always admired him as a player. He was a real professional. He wasn’t the tallest but he was brilliant in the air and I thought his experience would help get us over the line. We brought him in during the season and I think he retired after we won the title. He told me that day at Ayr was one of the best of his career. He’d obviously worked with Jim McLean for so long, who was a strict disciplinarian and he was able to have a laugh at Saints.
Sammy Johnston – Sammy was onepaced but he was very clever on the ball. The fans loved him. He could make goals and score goals. I don’t think he was too happy when Stevie Maskrey scored at Ayr because Sammy would have had a tap-in. Stevie took his glory!
Allan Moore – I sold him to Hearts from Dumbarton for £75,000. He wasn’t getting a game. Rather than take him to Muirton when I was trying to sign him for Saints I took him to McDiarmid, which was still being built. That sold the club. He was fantastic for me. When you watch the tapes of the games, the one person who was constantly either setting up or scoring goals was Moorie. All the time his name cropped up.
Paul Cherry – He could play anywhere. I got him from Cowdenbeath like Roddy. He had a tremendous engine and was man of the match when we drew with Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi the year before. He ran and ran in the Airdrie game.
Gary McGinnis – He could play rightback, centre-half or midfield. That’s where he was that day with Sammy and Paul in a 4-3-3.
Stevie Maskrey – I signed him three times and he was a great for me at every club. He scored a goal against Raith Rovers at Muirton, beating four or five from the half-way line that was maybe the best goal I ever saw. If it was on YouTube you can only imagine how many views it would have. He won the equalising penalty with a quick turn. We’ll never know what might have happened if he’d been fit for the Rangers semi.
Roddy Grant – I’ve always said he could have played for Man United if he’d had pace. He had great feet, was very clever and was strong in the air. He brought Moore and Maskrey into the game, which is what he did for Wardy for the third goal. He was like Ian St John at Liverpool with me – you don’t need to be the tallest if you can hang.
Ian Heddle – A steady player – honest as the day is long. He wasn’t the most skilful but was a grafter with a good left peg. I put him on for Sammy to freshen things up that afternoon. When we went up a few of the boys had to be discarded – like Ian and John. That was hard.
Kenny Ward – I still see wee Wardy quite a lot. I play golf with him. There were only four or five minutes left when he came on and sealed it for us with the third. He was sub a lot, which wee Moorie still kids him on about these days!