Davidson signs Zlamal in time for semi-final

St Johnstone have brought in Hearts’ Bobby Zlamal as emergency goalkeeping cover ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren.

The Perth side have been hit by a Covid-19 outbreak which has ruled four unnamed players out of the Hampden clash. Czech keeper Zlamal has been recruited for seven days and is set to go straight into the squad for the tie.

Ironically, the 35-yearold had a loan spell at St Mirren earlier in the season after coronavirus issues at the Paisley club led to three of their goalkeepers being forced to quarantine.

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin has sympathy for his St Johnstone counterpart, Callum Davidson, as both men try to prepare for one of the biggest games of the campaign.

“I sympathize with Callum Davidson and the players involved,” said Goodwin. “First and foremost, it is about the health and well-being of the players. Nobody needs to tell us about the difficulties of dealing with Covid.

“I am sure it has had a negative impact on St Johnstone's preparations but I would imagine Callum will use it as motivation for his group as well, to go and do it for the four players that will be missing.”

Forward lines win matches, but defences win trophies is a spin on the old football adage.

It is on such foundations that St Johnstone will seek to move within one game of the most extraordinary cup double in Scottish football history.

The setback endured by the Perth club of losing four players to a coronavirus outbreak for their Scottish Cup semi-final against St Mirren tomorrow will be tolerable, frankly, as long as their back three of Jamie Mccart, Jason Kerr and Liam Gordon is firmly in place at Hampden. As it has been for most of the campaign.

This youthful trio were central to the League Cup success, which required Callum Davidson’s men to hold firm under pressure across their eventual 3-0 last-four victory over Hibs. And as a durable unit, they were to the fore again in the shock penalty shootout win at Rangers’ – until then – domestic fortress of Ibrox in the Scottish Cup quarterfinal a fortnight ago.

Yet ball-playing pivot Mccart is at pains to stress that St Johnstone’s unyielding nature doesn’t revolve around the endeavours of his mini-team within the team. Even as he acknowledges the dovetailing of the three has burgeoned under the direction of Davidson, who has developed a midas touch since succeeding Tommy Wright in the summer.

“A lot of credit has to go to the people around us as well,” said the 23-year-old, inset. “The players in front work so hard to stop balls coming in while we have a great goalkeeper behind us.

“We are a well-organised team in general. [In terms of the back three] we have got used to how each other play. I only joined in the January [of 2020] but we hadn’t played with three all that often under Tommy [Wright]. It was just a case of getting more used to each other and seeing how we could benefit the team.

“They are two good guys off the park and I get on really well with them. We all compliment each other as we have three different styles. I enjoy playing beside them.

“[At Hampden this season] I think our organisation and our hard work was important. In the semi-final against Hibs, in the first half hour we were really under the cosh but we rode that out. After that we went from strength to strength. Then when you are playing Livingston [in the final] it is always a tough game and you always have to be at it. I think everyone to man has been working hard and I think that has shown in our organisation. Teams have been struggling to break us down.

“There has been belief there all season but maybe just the wee moments were going against us [during a difficult start]. We have all shown character and resilience. At Rangers they scored with five minutes to go [of extra-time] and it was deflating. But we just kept going until the last minute and nobody could have foreseen the big 6ft 5in goalie [Zander Clark] coming up and heading towards goal.

“I think that just shows we never give up, and when you show that resilience and character you get those wee bits of luck.”