THIRD TIME PLUCKY
Davidson eyes Hampden final after glory days pai
THE trials and tribulations of Murray Davidson are such only the meanest of souls wouldn’t wish the third time to be a charm in his bid to become a cup final winner.
His career can be charted by injury woes which have ruled him out of the biggest days in the history of St Johnstone.
Being forced to sit and watch his club lift the Scottish Cup against Dundee United in 2014 then sidelined again as the Betfred Cup was brought back to McDiarmid Park at the end of February.
Two crushing blows that threaten to become a hattrick as the Perth side head to Hampden again this Sunday for a Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren.
This time there may be a twist in the tales of woe after he climbed off the bench against Hibs on Saturday to stake the latest of claims for a place against the Buddies after recovering from a calf problem sustained against Rangers three months ago.
Davidson, 33, recounts the disappointments like scars that run deep and admits they made an impact on his family.
He said: “I’ve been asked so many times about the Scottish Cup Final I missed.
“That wasn’t too hard. Yes, I was sad to miss it but I’d been out for six months.
“Round by round I knew I wasn’t going to be part of it. I had myself mentally prepared I wouldn’t be playing that final.
“But to play the semi-final for the Betfred Cup against Hibs, beat them so convincingly and then be ruled out of the final not long after was very
1 GORDON PARKS AT EASTER ROAD
hard. You can’t understand what it is like for a player to miss a final until it’s happened to you.
“Watching the game is so difficult and it’s the same after it. You’re happy for so many people – the players, the manager, the chairman, the fans – but there’s a part of you that says, ‘I missed that.’
“It’s the human side to it all. It was really difficult and there were a few days I struggled.
“I switched my phone off and told my mum and dad and the rest of my family not to speak to me. They left me alone.
“But I got over it and, looking back, I know there are far more important things going on in the world than me missing a cup final.
“I was more disappointed for my family. They were buzzing to see me win the semi-final. My wee girl (Summer), all of my friends, they were all so happy because I was going to get the chance to play in a cup final.
“I’m being 100 per cent truthful here – I was more disappointed for them than myself.”
Davidson’s appearance was only one of the positives from the win over Hibs that maintained an unbeaten run for St Johnstone at Easter Road that incredibly stretches back seven games to 2012.
The hosts also blew the chance to cement a thirdplace Premiership finish and Glenn Middleton’s first-half winner was gifted by Ryan Porteous. He inexplicably passed straight across his own box to the on-loan
Rangers midfielder who didn’t need to be asked twice to slam home a clinical finish in the 22nd minute.
Keeper Zander Clark was nursing a sore toe sustained in the aftermath of his Scottish Cup quarter-final heroics against Rangers and his replacement Elliot Parish was required to deny Martin Boyle an equaliser with a terrific reflex stop.
Boyle also had an effort ruled out for offside before a game that became little more than a distraction ahead of this weekend’s Hampden hurdles for both clubs was over. But a seven-minute run-out at the end meant the world to Davidson.
He said: “It felt really good to get back out there. It’s been a long time coming. We’ve taken our time because there was the setback the last time which ruled me out of the cup final. We didn’t want that to happen again.
“It’s been day by day, monitoring my workload, and it was great to finally have something to look forward to waking up on a Saturday morning. I hate missing s ‘J o up eve ha
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football games. There’s nothing worse than knowing you’re going to be sat in the stand. “I’ve been itching to get back but for once I’ve been pretty sensible and saying to myself at times, Just relax a wee bit.’ “Last week it was one day n, one day off. Then we pped it to two and one. “Technology monitors erything these days, which s been a big benefit. “Myself and the sports entist Bod (Alex Headrick) ve been looking at it every y and upping the sprints d distances. We’ve been ecking my heart-rate rcentages – everything sically. It’s been lliant for me. Maybe as I get der I’m getting wee bit more nsible.” Hibs now have two mes to guarantee ir best-of-the-rest tag tside the Old Firm but the t word was left to Davidson o has his sights set on ally writing his own mpden happy ending. He said: “If I get a chance to y in any game now – League Scottish Cup or whatever ll give it everything I have cause games like that do ke you hungrier. Even in 4 when we won the Scottish p, you always say we will there again because you lise how big an occasion u have missed. There will be no one o wants it more n me. The team is ing so well but ht now we have semi-final to k to.”