Preston pays tribute to Perth side’s youth chief
ALLAN Preston insists youth supremo Alistair Stevenson deserves massive credit for his role in St Johnstone’s Betfred Cup triumph.
Stevenson’s influence was all over Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Livingston at Hampden, with half of the team having come through the ranks in Perth.
Shaun Rooney may have grabbed the headlines with the winning goal, but skipper
Jason Kerr and fellow defender Liam Gordon, keeper Zander Clark and midfielder Ali McCann all played key roles having grown up at the club.
In attack, Chris Kane started the match and was joined by Stevie May – both teenage signings for the McDiarmid Park side.
After adding the League Cup to his 2014 Scottish Cup success, David Wotherspoon is now a club legend with his hometown team and was developed – alongside Callum Booth – as a kid at Hibs when Stevenson was in charge there. And Preston insists the impact of the tireless Saints head of youth academy should not be underestimated.
The former Saints defender said: “You’ve got to applaud Alistair Stevenson and the youth development side of the club, and what they’ve done.
“Zander Clark, Jason Kerr, Liam Gordon, Ali McCann, Stevie May, Chris Kane, all coming through the youth ranks. And he was also involved in David Wotherspoon and Callum Booth’s development when they were at Hibs as kids before he jumped back to St Johnstone. So, he deserves an enormous amount of credit at the club.
“It’s such a well-run club. Financially, it’s on a sound footing and now they’ve got their just rewards with a magnificent League Cup win.”
Preston, who spent six successful years at Saints before being forced to retire through injury in 2000, admits he is also thrilled for
McDiarmid Park chairman Steve Brown and dad Geoff, who held the role for 25 years before stepping aside in 2011.
He added: “I’m delighted for the Brown family. They’re the ones who have been putting their money into the club for years. Geoff started all this at Muirton [Park] and then at McDiarmid [Park]”