THIS WAS THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD
Wotherspoon’s qualification joy
He was invited over to be with the squad for their special moment.
And local lad David Wotherspoon says celebratory scenes following Canada’s World Cup qualification will never leave him.
Wotherspoon is continuing his recovery from a serious knee injury but jetted out to Toronto for Sunday’s group stage match against Jamaica at the BMO Field.
He watched from the stand – then joined the party on the pitch – as his international teammates soared to a 4-0 triumph and, subsequently, booked their ticket for Qatar 2022.
“It was great when they invited me to be part of it,” Wotherspoon said. “It was fantastic being involved.
“I felt honoured and privileged to be included. I’m very grateful for all the support I have been shown by Canada since the injury.
“They wanted to make me feel part of it. It’s very kind of them and I really do appreciate it.”
Wotherspoon continued: “We knew we needed only a draw to qualify so we were confident going into the game.
“But nothing prepared us for the reaction when we got over the line. It was surreal, a bit like when St Johnstone won the two cups last season I suppose.
“You have to live in the moment and just enjoy being part of it all.
“It is something that will live with me forever. I’ll be telling my kids and grandchildren about it.
“It was an amazing experience to be part of and be embraced by everyone.
“I went down to the dug-out for the final few minutes to get on the pitch and be part of the celebrations.
“But because of the injury I certainly wasn’t jumping around!”
The legendary Perth midfielder, who has three major trophies to his name with Saints, has 10 caps for the Canadian national team and played his part in the World Cup qualifying campaign.
He knows how important securing a spot at the showpiece event was for the country’s footballing ambitions.
“Qualifying for the World Cup finals is massive for the country,” said Wotherspoon.
“It has caught the imagination and brought everyone together.
“It is turning Canada into a soccer nation with all the attention it is bringing to the game.
“There was close to 30,000 at the game, which was a record. The place was bouncing.
“Just walking down the street in the Canada tracksuit you get an amazing response from people. Everyone is taking notice of what has been achieved.
“It has been a long haul, in a group of eight playing home and away. There were qualifiers before that just to get into the group stage.
“We started this journey together and we always knew it would take something special.
“But this was always what we wanted, even if countries like Mexico and the USA probably started as favourites based on the rankings. We knew they were the ones to beat and we aimed to do just that.
“We had done well against them in the past and we felt we could put a spanner in the works.
“That was the mentality we went in with and now we have achieved something special. There is a great mix of younger players and a few legends who have been through the hard times and come out the other end.
“We have players playing for big clubs around the world and we have to clock-up the air miles to play for Canada.
“But everyone has bought into it. We are all committed to the cause.”
Wotherspoon sustained his serious knee injury in the League Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden.
The 32-year-old is scheduled to be back for the start of next season and, with the World Cup not until November and December, he will be giving his all to be on the plane to Qatar.
Wotherspoon said: “There have been a lot of sacrifices made, especially during the pandemic. Our families have been so supportive with being away from home so often.
“But those sacrifices have been totally worth it. We know it is a privilege and an honour to pull on that jersey.
“You grow up watching World Cups every summer and dreaming of being part of it.
“The first I remember was France ‘98 when I was only eight, seeing Colin Hendry leading out Scotland against Brazil. That was incredible. It would be the pinnacle of my career if I could be part of a World Cup squad. It’s something I am targeting.”