Caribbean calls for Wotherspoon

ST JOHNSTONE: International break no cruise for Saints goal hero

David Wotherspoon will be soaking up the sunshine during the international break.

But the in-form St Johnstone midfielder won’t be cruising in the Caribbean.

He has been recalled to the Canadian squad for a CONCACAF Nations League clash with St Kitts and Nevis and grabbed a trans-Atlantic flight yesterday.

“The team will enjoy the break but at the same time stay fit and be ready for the next game,” said Wotherspoon, 28, who netted in the 4-0 rout of Hamilton Accies on Saturday.

“Again, it’s a massive honour for me being named in the Canada squad and I can’t wait to meet up with all of the boys.

“It’s always a good camp. I wasn’t involved the last time but I’m back in, which is great.

“I have scored a couple of goals in the past few weeks so hopefully they are watching.”

Wotherspoon said: “It’s St Kitts and Nevis for a week and it’s a place I’ve never been.

“I’ll be ready to work hard and play if need be. It keeps me fit and going throughout the break. It also keeps my mind sharp.

“I’m obviously going to miss my kids and my wife but they understand that it’s good for me and a great honour to represent the country.”

While Wotherspoon is hoping to land a Canadian cap, keeper Zander Clark has again been overlooked by Scotland manager Alex McLeish for matches with Albania and Israel.

Celtic’s second-string keeper Scott Bain and Kilmarnock’s Jamie MacDonald are now backing up Rangers’ number one Allan McGregor, with Hoops goalie Craig Gordon injured.

Wotherspoon said: “We’ve kept five clean sheets in a row and Zander has not been recognised.

“Zander has proven time and time again that he is a great goalkeeper. He just needs to bide his time because it will come.

“There are other boys as well. We kept another clean sheet and Jason Kerr has been brilliant for us this year.

“Richard Foster goes under the radar and does his bit. He’s a great player.

“All of the boys have been performing well and they can all be happy and look forward to the break.”

Tommy Wright’s side face Kilmarnock next, chasing a record sixth successive win.

“We’ve got a technically good bunch of boys who can pass the ball well and are definitely a threat when we are attacking,” said Wotherspoon.

“We balanced it well on Saturday with our defending and breaking on the counter. There was some good football in there. It felt like we could score at any point when we were going forward.

“If you get Matty Kennedy on the ball, he is a threat to anyone. And Drey Wright has that sheer pace. Tony Watt did well holding the ball up and also had a great work rate.

“In the first 10 or 15 minutes you need to work hard and earn the right to play – and we did that.

“We scored the goal and gained confidence from that. From there we put some good passages of play together.

“We’ve got a break now but it’s a great run that we’re on. We need to continue that so we’ll continue to prepare right.”

Picture: SNS. David Wotherspoon after scoring Saints’ fourth goal against Hamilton on Saturday.