GARNER WILL PROVE HE HAS RIGHT STUFF, CLAIMS SAINT SMITH

CLIVE SMITH was handed his debut for St Johnstone thanks to two team-mates scrapping with each other.

After being a training-ground colleague of Joe Garner for two seasons, such scenes were perhaps slightly less shocking for the on-loan Preston man.

For Smith, 19, reveals that the man who has caused a catalogue of collisions in Rangers colours this season is just as combative against his own team.

Garner (pictured) has more bookings (nine) than goals (eight) since signing for £1.8million from Deepdale and he’s been fortunate to escape with that crime count against his name.

But defender Smith is convinced that Garner will, in time, prove to have much more to offer Rangers in terms of scoring goals. However, he admits the aggression will never desist.

‘You get some players who just switch it on for games, but Joe was physical every day in training,’ explained Smith. ‘You would always get an elbow in your teeth off him.

‘He would train as he plays. He’s a rough guy and he throws himself about. I remember one Friday we were playing a training game, I jumped for a header and got a face full of his elbow.

‘He’s a sound guy but that’s just the way he plays. You just need to get on with it. I saw him at Ibrox recently and had a good chat about how he was getting on.

‘Everyone needs to find their feet. As soon as he gets going, I think he will excel at Rangers. I’ve seen him at his best.

‘He got Player of the Year in League One and I think he can thrive there.

‘Joe always played in a front two at Preston. He was the one who’d challenge for the headers and win a flick-on for the other striker.

‘It would be nice to play against him at the end of the season — but I’ll need to watch those elbows.’

Saints host Rangers on the final weekend of the season, with Smith eager to round off his loan spell by enjoying as much first team exposure as possible.

He added: ‘If I don’t play between now and the end of the season, I’d still say it’s been a success for me. I’ve made my pro debut, I’ll have had a few appearances, and it’s been a good time.

‘Coming to Saints has changed my opinion of Scottish football. The standard is really good.’