Making me miss Dons party was just taking the p!
Boyd-Munce’s drug test put paid to celebration
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There was a Paisley party getting started but Caolan Boyd-Munce saw his invitation ripped up at the dressing-room door by the drug-testing bouncer.
A pair of injury-time goals from supersubs Mark O’Hara and Toyosi Olusanya turned a 1-0 deficit to Aberdeen into a scarcely believable 2-1 win for St Mirren a fortnight ago.
It was a result which will see a super-charged Buddies support travel down the M77 today to Kilmarnock dreaming of European football.
However, Boyd-Munce’s memories of a special SMiSA moment are rather different after he was dragged away as the celebrations kicked off.
On the outside listening in, the midfielder was serenaded by South Korean star Hyeokkyu Kwon through the walls.
When asked about the incredible post-match scenes after the Dons were downed, he said:“I didn’t see it as I was taken to the drug-testing room!
“When I got out at half six, everybody was away. I was gutted. Everyone was with their families.
“I could hear Kwon singing in the changing room and I was sitting in the drug-testing room by myself with Conor [McMenamin]. I was gutted I missed it all but I still felt a little part of it because of how close we were. But I was devastated.” Saints travel to East Ayrshire defending fourth place in the Premiership table but haven’t won at Kilmarnock in the league in 11 years.
The size of the black-and-white army travelling this afternoon has not gone unnoticed among the squad at Ralston but Boyd-Munce insists keeping things on an even keel was vital if Derek McInnes’men are to be knocked off.
“We appreciate the moment,” the 24-year-old said.
“We’ve been talking about it all week, seen the ticket sales and them opening up another part of the stand.
“But it’s relaxed here.
“We’re not building this up because when you do that, things go different for you.
“It was the same before the Aberdeen game. We were somehow favourites against a club like them. We didn’t get ahead of ourselves then or put extra pressure on ourselves.”
Boyd-Munce is full of confidence following some stellar performance but also because he has won a call-up to the Northern Ireland squad.
Michael O’Neill’s side face Romania next Friday night before a game with Scotland on Tuesday, March 26 at Hampden.
“My next step has to be to get my first cap,”Boyd-Munce admitted.
“I think this is my fourth call-up but it’s the first one where I have been in from the start. The others I’ve been on stand-by.
“I do feel ready for it. I feel comfortable with where I’m at. I’m understanding the game a lot more up here.
“I have come through the academy since I was 10 or 11 so to play for the senior team would be brilliant. I’ve been involved for 13 years. We’ll see what happens.”
And if he played against his adopted homeland?
“I’d be getting booed left, right and centre and that would be from my team-mates watching!,” he laughed.“Under the lights at Hampden would be some experience.”