Loan Ranger delights Saints’ boss Davidson
Callum Davidson hailed Glen Middleton after the on-loan Rangers man fired St Johnstone into the top six.
Middleton’s goal four minutes from time ended up securing a top-half finish for Saints after Hamilton Accies’ late equaliser at St Mirren.
For Saints boss Davidson, it was just reward for Middleton’s first-class approach to his spell at McDiarmid Park.
“I’m delighted for Glen today,” said Davidson.
“He’s had to be patient. He’s a great lad, he works hard but the form of the team has been so good, it’s been difficult for him to get in.
“But his attitude – and Stevie’s – when they came on was spot on.
“Mayzo shows how much the club means to him and Glen, he could easily be in, on loan from Rangers, just thinking: ‘I’m not playing, not good,’ but his attitude is great.
“His commitment is what you ask for. “He’s a young lad, he’ll get to know the game more and hopefully, playing like that, he’ll get more chances to play.”
Saints secured their eighth top-six finish in 10 seasons by downing County and Davidson, whose side also lifted the Betfred Cup, admits his side’s run of results has come at the perfect time. “It’s great timing,” he said. “From sitting at the bottom of the league to now finding ourselves in the top six, it’s all credit to the players for what they’ve managed to achieve over the last few months.
“I couldn’t be happier.
“If you’d asked me at the start, my first job in charge, taking over from a club legend in Tommy Wright, to win the League Cup and finish in the top six, I’d have jumped on you and taken it. “It’s been brilliant.”
County boss John Hughes saw his side struggle in Perth, where they were forced on to the back foot from the off.
But he retains belief that his players are good enough to play their way out of relegation trouble.
He said: “From now to the end of the season we need to be at it.
“We’ve got it in the squad to get out of trouble. I’ve seen that since I’ve come in.
“I trust them. My frustration is that I know they’ve got better than what we got today.”