Davidson plays nurturing role to Saints ace

Perth boss aims to protect young protege from fatigue

Seeing a campaign through from the first day to the final one will be a new experience for St Johnstone’s star midfielder Ali Mccann.

Perth boss Callum Davidson admits he will be watching out for signs of fatigue in the Northern Ireland international, so he can make best use of his prodigious talents in the run-in.

Mccann has 41 appearances under his belt in Saints blue and Northern Irish green over the course of 2020-21.

“You have to look at the bigger picture,” said Davidson.

“I think this is going to be Ali’s first full season.

“A lot of people forget that. He obviously played last year but the season got cut short.

“This is his first time at going deep into the season.

“He has been away with Northern Ireland, so he hasn’t really been getting a break.

“He has been continuously on the go. I would only look after him if I think he needs a break.

“We have a lot of big games coming up.

“Saturday is a huge game for us as we want to do well in the cup competition. But at the same time, I want to make sure my players are fresh and strong for the rest of the season.”

Another Saints star who has burst on to the international scene is David Wotherspoon, who has played even more times for the Perth side this season as well as adding to his cap haul with Canada.

Davidson rested Wotherspoon in the narrow loss against Aberdeen last weekend – and felt it was the right time to take him out of the starting line-up.

Davidson said: “I just wanted a little change to freshen things up. David has travelled a lot and the same with Ali.

“You have to look after them at this point in the season.”