Saints striker has Dark Blues in his sights as he bids to continue goal spree.

Colin Hendry’s delight as Callum making mark with St Johnstone

There has been no doubting Colin Hendry’s pride at his son’s breakthrough week as a professional footballer. Just look at his Twitter account. “Get in son” was the Scotland hall-offamer’s reaction to two goals (and a man of the match performance) at Tannadice from young Callum for St Johnstone’s Colts against Dundee United. Three days later the Blackburn Rovers legend was back online to follow his boy’s substitute appearance against Queen of the South in the Betfred Cup that yielded his first top-team goal. Then in midweek, whoever was providing updates on Twitter for Dundee FC at their reserve clash with Saints wasn’t left alone by Colin until he revealed the identity of the Perth side’s goalscorer (it was Callum). To see his dad and siblings sharing in his joy at finally making his mark in senior football after overcoming two cruciate ligament injuries and numerous minor ones is all the reward the 20-year-old needs. “That’s what drives me on,” he said. “When I’ve been injured or coming back from one, I’ve never quit. They’re my backbone. To finally do what I did and to see their reaction was amazing. “My phone was blowing up after the (Queen of the South) game. “It felt like I’d finally got there. “Hopefully that is the start of what will be a good career. Saturday was the day I felt like a professional footballer. “You can see how much it meant by some of the pictures that were taken. “I know that there are lads who have been worse off than me with injuries but I’m just glad to have come through my problems and get to where I am now. “It’s been the best week I’ve had since I came here.” It was the Irn-Bru Cup double that got the ball rolling for Hendry but the injury-time strike at Palmerston was the stand-out highlight of a memorable few days. “I was really happy with the two goals I scored against Dundee United but to score my first goal in a proper first-team game meant so much to me,” he said. “I definitely got a massive confidence boost from the double at Tannadice. There was a knock-on effect for the Queen of the South game and I’ve kept it going with another goal against Dundee in the reserves on Monday. “Hopefully I can keep it going for even longer. I feel fit and good about the way I’m playing and I’ll keep fighting for a place in the team. “My confidence is the best it has ever been.” Hendry, who spent 11 years at Blackburn before a trial spell with Saints last summer brought him to Scotland, is at last benefiting from an injury-free spell. “Last season was a series of niggles and injuries,” he said. “Stuff I couldn’t seem to get rid of. “Even when I was finding a bit of form for the 20s, another niggle wouldn’t be far away. That definitely held me back. “It was probably a hangover from the operation I had. That’s bound to happen. “I just needed a good pre-season. This has been my first proper one for six years. I’ve been injured for all the rest. “I played 90 minutes against Dundee United and in the past I would still have been feeling it on Thursday and Friday. “This time, I was able to train on Thursday afternoon. I felt really good. Until you’ve done it, you don’t know how much good a proper pre-season does for you.” Tommy Wright’s plan for Hendry in the short-term is to send him out on loan. It’s a strategy with an eye on the longterm that the player can see merit in but he has been bitten by the bug of featuring for the Saints first team. “The best case scenario for me is to stay here, fight for my place and earn a spot in the team,” he said. “The gaffer will make a decision on that. If he decides it’s in my best interests to send me out on loan, I would be happy to do that and play for six months. Because of my age and how much football I’ve missed, I need to be playing. “The gaffer will be honest with me. “All the loans that lads here have had (like Stevie May, Zander Clark and Jason Kerr) haven’t done them any harm, have they? We’ll see what happens. “The most important thing is the manager is happy. He’s said to me ‘just keep doing what you’re doing, you’re making a mark for yourself’. “I want to keep plugging away and get more goals. That’s my job.” Hendry hasn’t lacked McDiarmid Park mentors. “I’ve learned a lot from the players here,” he said. “This is a really tight-knit group. If I’m struggling I could go and speak to any of the boys. Macca (Steven MacLean) was great last season, and Tony (Watt) has been class this season. He speaks to me every day and I’ve been learning a lot off him. “That’s not a side of him people would have seen but he’s been in my position. “He was at Blackburn when I was a young boy so I knew him from then. “Tony has been through a lot as well. That sort of thing makes you hungrier. “Tony has been just like Macca. If I ever needed to do extra shooting after a session, Macca would do that with me. “After a game, if I came on, he would speak to me in the changing room and tell me what I could be doing better. That sort of experience helps you a lot.” Colin Hendry was famously converted from a centre-forward to a centre-back mid-career but Callum doesn’t envisage history repeating itself. He said: “I don’t think I’ll be doing that – not yet, anyway. Not when I compare myself to Gordy (Liam Gordon) and Jason (Kerr). They’re man giants!” It has been a long time since Colin was earning money for scoring goals rather than stopping them but his attacking wisdom is still of use in father-and-son football conversations. “He is good, to be fair,” said Callum. “He was up for the Hamilton game last season and we spoke about things that had happened for about half-an-hour. “He signed for Blackburn as a striker and he knows what he’s on about. I was shocked! I’d rather get a phone call off (Alan) Shearer, mind you!”

“To finally do what I did and to see their reaction was amazing