ANOTHER CHANCE TOINSPIRE
Callum Davidson hopes his bunch of Saints have been inspiring the next generation of supporters this season.
Fans young and old have needed to watch the club’s unravelling success story from home due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But Davidson and his players have given plenty of reason for celebration and he is determined to create more joyous scenes.
A Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren at Hampden enters the spotlight this weekend.
Saints will go for glory without four first team stars after yesterday confirming two positive COVID-19 cases. A further two have been required to self-isolate.
It presents another hurdle but Davidson will have his side up for the challenge and would love to book another final for the fans.
“We want to say thanks to everybody for the support we’ve had this season – you can’t see it but you can feel it,” the Perth boss said.
“We know how much support we’ve been getting and we know how tough it must have been for them to miss out on some big games. They’ve missed out on two trips to Hampden. It will be a third on Sunday and hopefully there will be a fourth.
“Hopefully the kids will be watching their mums and dads jumping about in their living rooms on Sunday afternoon again.
“I’ve got a few friends whose children are all wearing St Johnstone tops now and it would be nice to think there are a lot more like them.”
Davidson admits thoughts of a cup double at the beginning of the season “would not have even been in the wildest of dreams of any St Johnstone supporter.”
“We’ve got the chance to do it,” Davidson said earlier this week.
“There’s a 25 per cent chance of us succeeding at the moment and hopefully that’s up to 50 per cent by Sunday.
“We’re in there fighting for it and we’re going to enjoy it.”
Many actually have the highflying Perth club as favourites to lift the Scottish Cup crown. Dundee United and Hibs contest the other last four tie.
Davidson laughed: “St Johnstone favourites? That’s probably the first time I’ve heard that!
“The players are getting praised for how well they’re playing and rightly so. But we’re not the favourites in my opinion. Hibs have had a fantastic season.
“Dundee United, St Mirren and ourselves have been very similar in the league. There was very little to separate us in the table.
“It doesn’t bother me or the players if we’re called the favourites but I’m still calling us the underdogs.
“For a club like ours to win the cup double – you’d call that impossible. If anything that makes us the least likely of the four.”
Davidson was full of praise for how captain Jason Kerr has handled this season.
He said: “Since the turn of the year Jason has been our best and most consistent player, even though the other two centre-halves could probably argue about that. And there are others.
“He’s been phenomenal. He’s grown into the role of captain and handled it very well, which is a big thing.”