GAFFER’S MY FAITH HEALER
MacPherson desperate to repay Levein after boss’s praise boosted his battle for fitness
CAMMY MacPHERSON wants to repay Craig Levein for bigging him up when he badly needed a boost.
The St Johnstone midfielder has seen another season wrecked by long-term injury.
MacPherson tore a thigh muscle in november, the day before he was set to start for Levein for the first time.
The Perth boss has kept talking up the ex-St Mirren man’s talent on the countdown to a comeback. And that has given MacPherson motivation to return to aid the survival scrap.
He said: “It’s always good to hear that a manager likes you. Wee comments like that give you a boost.
“I’ve had a few managers say that about me now, though, so I need to actually get out there and prove them right.
“It’s always nice to get that faith especially when, coming back from injury, you’ve got that wee period after you get back training.
“For about a week or two you start to feel a bit leggy again. Throughout the injury him and Andy kirk have been really good with me, taking time to speak to me every couple of days to keep me involved.
“I’m only just back, I’ve been out for a long time again.
“So I’m not going to pile added pressure on myself. But I’ve still got expectations that I want to perform when I get the chance.”
MacPherson has endured two dislocated shoulders, four months out with a previous thigh problem and groin surgery at Saints before his latest setback in a Friday training session after just one brief sub outing for Levein.
The 25-year-old said: “It was a freak incident, pretty much the last pass in training. We were doing waves of attack, we said we’d do one more.
“It wasn’t even a strike, it was like a sidefoot pass. I just felt it pop. I tried to tell myself for two minutes that it would be all right, that I’d be fine.
“Then I knew it was done again. It was the exact same feeling as the first time I did it – it feels as if you might be able to get away with it.
“After a couple of minutes all the blood rushes to it and you can’t really walk on it. It’s a nightmare. My goal always was to get back playing before the end of the season.”
MacPherson could start at Livingston as Saints bid to battle a way back out the relegation play-off berth.
Two points adrift, it’s vital they stay in touch with Ross County ahead of a Mcdiarmid Park midweek showdown with don Cowie’s men.
MacPherson said: “It’s still in our hands. If we win all three games there’s nothing Ross County can do about that.
“That’s the mindset we’ve got to have. We can’t be looking at County and thinking they’re picking up wins here and there.
“We’ve just got to focus on us for now and then play them. We need to set that game up by getting a positive result and momentum.”
Livi only have pride to play for after their drop fate was sealed last Saturday. But Levein says they can’t presume david Martindale’s men will suffer mental letdown.
He said: “Livingston at Livingston, I don’t care what form they’re in or what their situation is, it’s never easy.
“We must be aware of that and ready for a scrap, as always. We’ve got to assume they’ll be up for it, that they might even have the shackles taken off them a little.”
Levein has left-back woes after Luke Robinson returned injured to parent club Wigan and Tony Gallacher’s calf issue won’t be risked.
Winger diallang Jaiyesimi is available for the first time in two months.
Levein said: “It’s a tiny area of his calf that’s bothering Tony. If we keep pushing him, there’s a chance it becomes a major problem. dJ will be on the bench.”