Identical twins Jason and Greg Kerr are difficult to tell apart at first glance. ther oge two et wer for k We ts wor Sain at dn’t itdi g but rs.. Gre ly yea for real out been tive he’s por sup
Saints skipper Jason can count on twin Greg for show of support
But when it comes to football, the brothers’ stories are very different.
Jason is the St Johnstone captain who o could become a club legend today if he e holds aloft the Betfred Cup at Hampden. .
While Greg, whose last club was Leith h Athletic, will be at home watching on TV V and wondering what might have been.
As boys, both were young hopefuls at McDiarmid Park.
Centre-back Jason progressed through gh the ranks and is now an integral part of Callum Davidson’s first team.
But Greg joined countless other Scottish sh kids on the game’s scrapheap when he was as released by the club – and ended up back ck home in Edinburgh with East of Scotland nd side Penicuik.
With Covid restrictions halting all lower league football across the country, he has been unable to get a game recently. Jason, on the other hand, is about to play in the biggest 90 minutes of his life against Livingston today.
The Saints skipper was there to support his twin when he left Perth – and that will be reciprocated at Hampden.
Kerr said: “My brother was here with me at St Johnstone for the first two years.
“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for him. He’s a good player and scored a few goals but he’s playing pub league football now.
“Greg was a striker and was really good for the Under-20s but it just didn’t really happen for him here.
“But he has been really supportive of me and I have supported him as well.
“There were a lot of good strikers at Saints at the time. At the end of every season, players don’t get kept on.
“That’s what happens with a lot of boys. He went to the Royal in Penicuik and scored a few goals for them.
“He has done well in the lower leagues but it’s obviously disappointing that he can’t play right now because of restrictions. These boys are desperate to play.
“So it’s a bit strange that we are going to a cup final and they aren’t even allowed to get a game.
“Greg will just be watching the game in the house with the rest of the family.
“My mum will probably be so nervous that she’ll spend it in the kitchen!
“These are the kind of games you dream about playing in. When you start out as kids, you think about winning national trophies.
“You don’t ever think it will happen to you though, because it seems so far off.
“I played boys’ club football until I was 17 and got to cup finals – but it’s nothing like this.
“You always hope you’ll get to this level one day. You work so hard to make it happen so hopefully we can win the cup.”
Kerr will cement legendary status at St Johnstone if he goes up the Hampden steps to collect the trophy at full-time.
When he was first given the armband by former gaffer Tommy Wright, the team suffered poor results and a section of the support felt the responsibility was too big for a young player.
But he has grown into the role and Saints fans wouldn’t want anyone else leading
Davidson’s side out today. Kerr admits it’s now impossible not to envisage getting his hands on the trophy.
He said: “I feel the captaincy has got a lot easier as it has gone on.
“I’m a young player and having to be captain of an older squad was a bit different but I’ve grown into it as time has gone on.
“The whole squad has done so well to get to where we are now.
“And if we turn it on against Livi, we can achieve something really special for Perth and for St Johnstone.
“When I was first captain we didn’t start off too well and there were a lot of questions being asked of me.
“But the squad and the manager stuck by me. I need to thank them for that because since then it has gone a lot better in terms of results.
“It has been a special time for the club and it is a chance to win a second trophy after the Scottish Cup success in 2014.
“It would be a big accomplishment so hopefully we can do it and make all the fans happy.
“It’s hard not to think about lifting the
trophy n o w, espeespecially because there is a good chance we couldco do it.
“As a squad we’ve beentbeentrying to focus on gettingetting the win, not lookinlooking too far ahead. “But it is hard not to think about lifting it, everyoneveryone does. As a little kid that is the dream. “So hhopefully we will put in a good performperformance and it will get us whwhat we want.” In 20142014, when Wright’s team becabecame Perth heroes, they enjoyenjoyed an open-top bus paradepara around the town with the Scottish Cup. Covid restrictionsre won’t allow that tonight if Saints return triumphant.trium
Not only ccould they win it in front of nno supporters at HHampdend bbut thereh willi be very little celebration afterwards either.
But having contracted the virus earlier this season, Kerr is just happy that he’s back healthy and playing in a cup final.
He said: “It’s obviously tough because of the restrictions and it won’t be the same experience if we win.
“There won’t be celebrations, there won’t be an open-top bus or anything like that. “And we have a big game on Wednesday against Hamilton so even if it was normal times we’d be focused on that.
“We want to push on and get into the top six.
“So if we are lucky enough to win, it will be a case of getting up the road, having a bath to recover, then looking ahead to Hamilton.
“I had Covid earlier in the season, I tested positive and I had some symptoms.
“It wasn’t nice for a couple of days but it wasn’t too bad and
I was good to go after that.
“Obv ious l y, it was disappointing at the time but people have been dying al l around the world
– so I was one of the lucky ones.”
Callum can boss it at higher level
Loan star Danny McNamara has tipped St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson for a step up the managerial ladder.
McNamara was the best player in the first half of the season for Saints before being recalled to Millwall.
He will cheer on his pals today in the hope Davidson can win silverware in his maiden campaign.
McNamara suspects the rise in the Perth gaffer’s reputation won’t stop there.
Davidson was No. 2 to Tommy Wright at McDiarmid Park and filled the same role for Gary Rowett with Stoke, then Millwall.
That experience prepared him well for going it alone and McNamara insists that the rookie boss boasts veteran manager skills.
He said: “When I started working with Cal lum it felt like he’d been in the management game for ages.
“He was so comfortable in the role, like he had done it all before.
“He knew exactly how to talk to the lads and his training sessions were always high intensity.
“He demanded a lot on and off the pitch and the attitude always had to be right.
“The boys loved playing under him. If he continues the way he’s going there’s no reason why he can’t go even higher as a manager.”
McNamara will enjoy a curious place in St Johnstone
history. The Republic of Ireland cap likes the idea of being rated the most popular signing fans never saw play.
He hopes to hook up with the supporters when crowds are allowed back next season.
The 22-year- old said: “I’ll be watching the final with the family. My dad, Tony, watched all my St Johnstone games online.
“He loved it but it’s shame he couldn’t come up to watch.
“We will get up to go to a Celtic or Rangers game and experience that atmosphere as Saints fans.
“I was sad the supporters never saw me play in person because it was a successful loan.
“I was fortunate to join a really good environment. The whole squad were nice lads, I love them all.
“I now want to be firstchoice right-back and, long term, Millwall captain.
“Without St Johnstone I wouldn’t be where I am.”
Nicky Devlin thought he had it tough when his big break in football was scuppered.
At the age of 17, he’d suffered a bad knee injury as a kid at Motherwell that looked set to derail a promising career
But it wasn’t until he had left Fir Park and was playing part-time for Stenhousemuir that he got a glimpse of how cruel life can really be.
Devlin worked in the bar at The Pond Hotel in Glasgow, close to the Beatson cancer clinic, where he’d often serve patients who’d been affected by the disease.
And a decade on, as he prepares for today’s Betfred Cup Final at Hampden as a mainstay at Livingston, he recalled the conversations that changed his outlook on life for good.
The Lions defender said: “I was working at a hotel in the West End, in the bar, and it was close to the Beatson clinic.
“Speaking to some of the patients, whenever they came in, made me realise the position I was in at the time wasn’t too bad – that I was actually still pretty fortunate. I was still healthy
and still able to go to work, albeit part-time football with Stenhousemuir.
“I usually worked from 7am until 3pm. Then I’d go home for a couple of hours before training at night.
“It was a 24-hour bar so there were a few times I’d have to play on the Saturday and, if they were short-staffed, I’d go straight from the game to work at an 18th or 21st birthday party.
“I actually really enjoyed working in the bar – it was a good laugh. But, it wasn’t something I wanted to do forever.
“The staff were always great with me and probably let me off with more than they should have because of my football.
“At that time, I almost thrived on the fact that I’d been discounted and written off before as a footballer. It was something that motivated me.”
When he was eventually released by Stenny in 2014, he doubted whether he’d be able to continue as a professional footballer.
But a call from former Ayr United player/manager Mark Roberts changed everything – and set him on the right path again.
He excelled at Somerset Park, especially under Ian McCall who made him skipper for the Honest Men. Devlin earned a move down south to Walsall before returning to Scotland a n d becoming a mainstay for Livi. The 27-year-old is now making the most of a career that almost evaded him – and that’s why he’s desperate to get his hands on a trophy this afternoon.
He added: “It would be massive for me to win the Cup with Livingston.
“You dream of playing in Cup finals when you’re a wee boy growing up.
“No disrespect to Stenhousemuir because they were a great club for me but when you get released from there it’s a case of: ‘ Where do I go now?’
“I feared I’d be like so many and fall out of the game. I was obviously lucky enough that Mark gave me the phone call to go down to Ayr just to train for the first couple of weeks.
“He made it clear after a few days that they wanted to sign me, which was a huge relief.
“There have been so many cases of players being released at lower league level and falling out of the game completely.
“So I’ve a lot to thank Mark for. Thankfully, I’ve managed to turn it around a bit in terms of where my career was going.
“And, hopefully, come tomorrow night, I’ll be sitting with a winner’s medal.
“There have been lots of better players than me who have finished their careers without any medals so it’s a massive opportunity.”
Livi last won a trophy in 2004 when Derek Lilley and Jamie McAllister guided them to the League Cup with a 2- 0 victory over Hibs.
Devlin knows he and his team- mates have a similar type of team spirit as 17 years ago and he’d love to join Davie Hay’s team as Livi legends.
Current gaffer David Martindale has gathered a group of players just like Devlin who have all had knocks in their career.
The full-back believes that’s what makes them so special. He said: “I wouldn’t say we have any superstars in our squad.
“We’re all hard working and good players. However, we’re not a team full of superstars with big egos.
“That’s something that epitomises others at the club and where we are just now.
“We’ve been written off so many times but as a club we keep proving people wrong.
“And hopefully again in the cup final we’ll be able to do that.
“I think managers at all clubs are looking at the background of players rather than just what they do on the park.
“I think when you go through the squad at Livingston, I’d think just about everyone has been released at some point in their careers.
“I think David Martindale probably does target players who have got a point to prove somewhere along the line. And it’s worked for us so far.”
Davie Hay had won it all before but that did not stop him dancing on the table as he made sure that Livingston celebrated their 2004 League Cup triumph in style.
Hay bagged a total of six titles, three Scottish Cups and a League Cup as player and manager at Celtic, as well as leading Motherwell and Lillestrom to title success.
But little compared to his joy at Livingston beating Hibs at Hampden 17 years ago.
He said: “Having been fortunate to be in lots of finals and win, I also knew what it was like to lose, whether that was with Celtic or whoever. So I always knew how to enjoy success when it came.
“That was part of it,
not so much for myself but for the players who might never have achieved something like that before and for some of the backroom staff as well.
“I said, ‘ Let’s enjoy this’ – and we really enjoyed it, believe me!
“I ended up on top of a table back at the stadium.”
Amidst boardroom shenanigans, Hay was subsequently ousted in favour of coach Allan Preston at the end of the season but he did go back in an advisory role in 2008.
However, there is no resentment and Hay would love to see David Martindale emulate him as a cup-winning boss at Livi.
He added: “David has done very well and I hope they win it because I have great memories of my time there. When you win cup finals, you go down in the history books.”
McDermott
David Martindale’s fan mail is a bit different to what an average football manager receives.
After all, how many SPFL gaffers find time to respond to a prisoner doing a 25-year stretch?
Or a young guy on remand who made a grave mistake and is awaiting sentence?
But incredibly, in the build up to today’s Betfred Cup Final at Hampden, Livingston’s boss will ensure every letter he receives from a Scottish jail gets a reply.
We all know Martindale’s story by now. When Livingston last won this trophy in 2004, he was being locked up for six-and-a- half years for cocaine trafficking.
It changed his life and after being rehabilitated behind bars he’s managed to build a new one for himself and his family.
Martindale’s success is proving to be inspirational, not just to people who know him within the game but criminals he has never met before.
He has shown that if you make the most of a second chance, it can be motivational to others who have taken a similar path.
As he prepared his side to face St Johnstone today, Martindale revealed that he has been humbled by the response to his honest account of a colourful past.
And it’s a sign of the type of character he is that even prison WARDERS have been in touch before Hampden. He said: “I’ve had a lot of mail from prisoners inside different jails in Scotland.
“There was a young kid in Glenochil prison who was on remand before sentence. His story struck a chord with me.
“He said he had two kids outside and he was a good footballer. I think he was from the Raploch scheme in Stirling.
“He wrote: ‘ I was a really good footballer but I’ve wasted it all and I’m waiting to be sentenced.’
“A letter like that really touches you, especially when it’s from someone so young. Hopefully, he gets a chance to turn his life around. It’s a wee bit easier being so young.
“I got another letter from a prisoner in Greenock jail, he’s a lifer who’s been in for 25 years.
“I won’t name the team but he’s actually been out working on day release at one of the footba l l clubs in the
Scottish
TOWER POWER Livi boss has gone from amateur finals with pub, below, to Hampden
Martindale’s mission is changing lives
Championship. He said my letter has given him a bit of hope that when he comes out he can maybe get a job in footbal l , ground-keeping or something.
“It has given him hope of maybe getting out and understanding that society won’t hold it against him.
“There’s been a lot of letters and I think I’ve answered every one of them. “Hopefully answering them back gives them a wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’m actually still friends with a couple of the warders f rom Glenochil. I speak to them via WhatsApp or Twitter messages. They’ve said: ‘All the best Davie, brilliant’ before the final.
“They had a big part in my rehabilitation because I spent 12 hours a day with these guys for 18 months.
“I worked with them and they put trust in me so that was good.”
Martindale jokes that he’s like a magnet to players who are down on their luck or have had problems in the past.
But that’s not strictly true. What he is attracted to is players with hunger, desire and the motivation to prove people wrong.
And if they need to look at anyone as an example of what can be achieved against all odds, he’s the perfect gaffer.
After all, it wasn’t that long ago Martindale was involved in AMATEUR cup finals with The Tower Bar in Livingston.
He said: “I’m like a magnet. Anybody with baggage ends up with me. I don’t want to say too much about how I recruit but I’ve