The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Wotherspoon out to hit
DAVID WOTHERSPOON has sam pled the lows that European football can bring to Scottish clubs but hopes to hit the heights with St Johnstone tonight.
Wotherspoon was in the Hibs team that crashed 3-0 to Maribor on a grim July night in Slovenia three years ago.
That gave the Edinburgh men far too high a mountain to climb in the return game at Easter Road and they went on to lose again and bow out with a 6-2 aggregate defeat.
The contrast with 2010 and now, however, is stark as he goes into continental battle in the Europa League second qualifying round second leg against Rosenborg for the club he has supported since he was a boy.
For the Perth men boast a 1-0 advantage over the Norwegian league leaders going into tonight’s massive match at McDiarmid Park.
It was a magnificent achievement secured by a golden goal from defender Frazer Wright, a winner that was warmly welcomed by one of Wotherspoon’s pals, who won a £4,000 bet as a result.
Now everyone connected to Saints hopes they will be cashing in with what would be a historic win.
“I have had one experience in Europe with Hibs and we got taught a lesson from a very good team in Maribor,” Wotherspoon said.
“That was a huge disappointment. We didn’t know what to expect when we went across there.
“We were 3-0 down after the first leg and you’re almost out of it but we gave it a go at home.
“Although we tried to redeem ourselves (they lost 3-2) we couldn’t manage it.
“One of their players (Josip Ilicic) went on to play for a big club in Italy so that showed the standard they played at.
“That experience with Hibs showed me how big a result it was for us to win away from home.
“To progress would be great because Scottish teams have suffered in the past. When you’re not seeded you come up against a hard draw.
“We got a tough draw but we’ve given ourselves a chance. There’s 90 minutes to still play and it’s going to be tough but we have to believe we can do it.”
As for the lucrative 395-1 bet for his mate Nick Elder, Wotherspoon explained: “I had pals across in Norway but although I didn’t see them I heard that one of them won nearly £4,000 because he bet Frazer Wright to score and 1-0.
“He showed me the bet slip on Twitter, it was unbelievable. So I’ve told him he owed me a few drinks.”
The night should be that wee bit extra special special for Wotherspoon given his Saints’ supporting history. He said: “My family will all be here. Quite a number of them are coming along.
“I saw them on Monday night and there’s a lot of them wanting to come to the game.
“The reaction from my friends has been great, a lot of them are Saints fans.
“It would be great to be involved in helping St Johnstone get through. It would be massive for the club.
“After two games it would be good to be involved in something like this.
“I was at the Monaco match as a fan but this game is even bigger from the club’s point of view. Personally, this is much bigger for me because we’ve got a chance to progress.
“But we can’t forget that we’re a long way from being through.
“Last week was exciting for everyone involved but that’s gone now, we’ve got
the second leg to focus on. We had a game plan last week, we stuck to it and got a great result out of it.
“A 1-0 victory was great for us, we enjoyed it at the time but it’s only half-time in the tie. We now have to get a good result and see it through.
“I think Rosenborg will step it up, they’ve got to come here and get the win. You could see their ability when we played them in the first leg, they’re a good side with some really good players.
“We’ll take all that into account and prepare our best to get the win.
“We just need to push on now and hopefully get a victory.
“We’re going into it positively, we’ll have a game plan again and hopefully will be able to stick to it.”