The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Gordon focus on cup reality as his dream comes true
He has left Hampden as a winner on four successive visits. But St Johnstone skipper Liam Gordon admits it will be extra special if he can lead his home-town team to victory over favourites Celtic in this evening’s Premier Sports Cup semifinal clash.
Perth manager Callum Davidson is seeking to extend a remarkable 15game unbeaten cup record as Saints bid to retain their grip on the first of the two trophies brought to McDiarmid Park last term.
“It will be different in the sense that I’ll be leading the boys out and I didn’t do that last year,” said Gordon, who took over the captaincy when Jason Kerr left for Wigan in a £600,000 deal on transfer deadline day.
“It’s something you can only ever dream of as a kid.
“You’ve got your dreams and ambitions but for it to become reality was amazing for me personally.
“It’s a nice personal touch but I’m fully focused on getting the right result. That’s the main motivation.
“Hampden was a happy hunting ground last year for us. We’ve got fond memories of the good experiences we had there.
“That’s big going into this weekend.
“We’re obviously up against a club that’s been there many, many times and players throughout that team have been there as well.
“They are serial winners and it’s going to be a tough game for us – but it’s one that we’re well up for and are looking forward to.”
Boyhood fan Gordon is well aware Saints rewrote the record books capturing both the League Cup and the Scottish Cup last term.
He admits unparalleled success has fuelled a desire to get their hands on more silverware.
“We have a team of winners, guys who just want to win football games and win trophies, who will run through a brick wall for each other,” said Gordon, 25.
“When you have them on the pitch with an opportunity to win silverware in a knockout competition that makes us quite a hard team to beat.
“The buzz we had last year is something I will never forget.
“You get the taste for it and you want more and more. That is a huge motivation for us.
“It has been a crazy whirlwind but hopefully we can keep it going.
“Three trophies in 10 months has never been done before but hopefully we can build on it and make it even more remarkable.
“In terms of how we’ve prepared, it doesn’t feel like it’s changed from last season.
“We are going there with the same motivation and mindset and looking at the same picture that we’ll all want.”
Gordon admits Saints will have to rein in a dangerous Celtic frontline, with Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi taking Scottish football by storm.
“We know what they are capable of, what their strengths are and how good they are going forward,” he said.
“It’s going to be a busy afternoon but it’s one we are all looking forward to.”
Gordon is relishing the prospect of playing in front of a hostile crowd, after the ghostly backdrop posed by pandemic restrictions.
“That first walk out on to the pitch just before kickoff is going to be a brilliant feeling for everyone around the ground – the fans as well who are seeing their team again in the semifinal of a national trophy.
“It’s something we are all looking forward to and have all missed. It will be a packed house. That’s what you play football for.”
Gordon was thrilled to receive a call from former Scotland and West Ham defender Ray Stewart congratulating him on assuming the captaincy.
“It was a lovely touch from Raymond. I have met him on a few occasions and he’s a great man. He is a legend of the game.
“Raymond is from the Perth area. I first met him when I was a wee boy and I was in awe of him.
“It was a touch of class. He didn’t need to do that but it shows what he is made of.”
The vocal defender insists the armband hasn’t changed his on-field input.
“I’ll be talking and organising. But it won’t just be me,” he stressed.
“Nothing has changed for me or the squad, apart from a few off-field things you have to deal with as captain.
“It feels the same as ever. Yeah, I’ll be the one with the armband on but I have leaders all around me, left right and centre. There are plenty of people in the team who can dig each other out.
“That is where our success has come from.”
Gordon revealed manager Davidson, not surprisingly, has stuck to the blueprint which brought rewards last term.
“We have looked at how we can effect this game, rather than looking at any weaknesses of theirs,” he said. “Our preparations have been about St Johnstone and what we do.
“That’s what we did last year. It paid off for us so we are going with the same plan and structure.
“We are underdogs but it doesn’t bother us. It was the same last season. It is something we thrive on, we enjoy proving the doubters wrong.
“Of course we will be underdogs. Celtic and Rangers are still in it and they are the most successful clubs in the country. But that gives us great motivation.”