The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Familiar faces await for new Saint Foster
Perfect move: For former Ross County defender
The football season has only just begun but St Johnstone signing Richard Foster is preparing for his second Premiership match against Caley Thistle.
The former Aberdeen and Rangers player is hoping the result is the same as the first one.
“The last game I played for Ross County was away to Inverness, it was a 3-2 win and now I’m going back up there this weekend,” Foster said. “That’s just football.”
When County won the Highland derby a couple of weeks ago, the change in style of play from former manager John Hughes’ Caley Thistle to the Richie For an model was noticeable. SCOTTISH
“Inverness teams of the past have always passed the ball well,” Foster said. “With the new manager, against Ross County, they seemed to go more direct.
“If they do that then I’m sure we’ve got the players here who can handle it.”
Caley Thistle’s no points from three games was a start few would have predicted. Foster certainly wouldn’t.
“I think they miss Miles Storey up front now he has moved to Aberdeen,” he said. “His pace posed a big threat. But they’ve got a lot of players who have been there a while.
“So it is a bit of a surprise. Sometimes that can happen. It can take you a while to get going.
“It wasn’t an easy game a couple of weeks ago and it won’t be easy on Saturday.
“There are no easy games, but we feel we’ll have the quality to get a result up there.”
Foster does not believe his career needs reviving at McDiarmid Park and added: “I played 35 games last year so I was pretty settled. Just before the end of the season I was told I could move on if I found a club.
“It was a shock. We’d finished in the top six and won the cup. I thought I’d had a good season but these things happen.
“The manager felt I hadn’t been consistent enough. That’s his opinion and he’s entitled to it. I disagreed with him but he’s the manager and that’s how it goes.
“I wish Ross County all the best but I’ve moved on now and they’ll be one of our competitors to get into the top six.”
Foster added: “I was delighted the opportunity came up to play here. St Johnstone have been consistently in the top six for the last four or five years.
“The manager seems to get the best out of the players. It’s a perfect move for me. And logistically I can get back to living with my girlfriend in Glasgow. It ticks every box.”
Foster has had a few transfers in his career but being pitched into a match against Celtic without a training session with new team-mates was a first.
The Saints were beaten 4-2 and Foster added: “I found out I was moving on Friday morning. I collected my things and drove down so I didn’t get here until lunchtime.
“The players were just coming in from training but the manager said he felt I had enough experience to go straight in and I knew most of the squad from playing against them.
“I’ve never come into a team that quickly so it was a new experience. Although we lost it was good to be involved and the next couple of weeks will be important now.”
On the Celtic defeat, Foster added: “I don’t think we’ll face a better team this year. In the first half Celtic were very good. They moved the ball really quickly. They’ve got a lot of quality.
“It was a tough game, but these are the type of matches I want to play in so it was good and bad.”
“It won’t be easy on Saturday. There are no easy games”