Davidson: I may lose some of my cup stars
St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has admitted the Perth club face the prospect of losing some of their double cup-winning heroes this summer.
Davidson’s squad completed an historic achievement on Saturday when they defeated Hibernian 1-0 at Hampden to lift the Scottish Cup.
St Johnstone became only the fourth club in Scottish football history – after Rangers, Celtic and Aberdeen – to win both domestic cup tournaments in the same season since the inception of the League Cup in 1946-47.
The exceptional campaign enjoyed by Davidson’s team has inevitably heightened interest in several of his players with captain Jason Kerr and midfielder Ali Mccann among those likely to be the subject of bids from other clubs in the coming weeks.
“My players have performed at a very high level on big occasions, which says a lot,” said the Saints boss.
“It will be hard for the club to hold on to them. That’s the business we’re in. Hopefully, we only lose one or two.
“We need to make sure the ones who come through realise what these boys have done and meet those standards too. “i’ve always said that
players will get chances of big moves if they perform in big games.
“We beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup quarter-final and we’ve had four games at Hampden in the cups – we’ve only conceded one goal in those four.”
While much praise has rightly been heaped on St Johnstone’s central defensive trio of Kerr, inset, Liam Gordon and Jamie Mccart, their manager feels the collective effort of his squad should be recognised.
“I can’t fault any of them,” he added. People talk about the back three but it’s not all down to them. It starts with the work-rate up front from the likes of Chris Kane, Stevie May and the others. We’ve got our success as a team.
“They’re a great bunch to work with. They go about their jobs on a daily basis really well and work so hard.
“The players probably don’t realise what they’ve done yet. It is a phenomenal achievement. I’ve really not got the words to describe it at the moment. People will be talking about this St Johnstone 2021 team for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Davidson hopes St Johnstone fans willbeallowedatsomepoint to safely celebrate the club's remarkable cup double with their heroes.
Once again, due to coronavirus restrictions, there were no fans inside Hampden Park and Davidson would like some sort of organised celebration in Perth when it is safe.
He said: "The two trophies are something we need to celebrate, hopefully by the end of June.
"We need to speak to the council, I am not an expert on that.
"We need to make sure everyone is safe, as long as they don't gather in a big group. I remember when we won the Scottish Cup in 2014, the crowds were unbelievable in Perth. That probably can't happen so maybe have discussions and see what is the best way round it because the people of Perth deserve to enjoy this success."
Of the game itself, Davidson said: “Hibs have had a fantastic season and it could have gone either way. I am just very fortunate it went our way. For a small club like St Johnstone to create a cup double - not many teams outside the Old Firm have managed to do it. I thought we weathered the storm and put pressure on Hibs."