WOTHERSPOON’S IN WITH A SHOUT FOR WORLD CUP
ST JOHNSTONE manager Callum Davidson fully expects David Wotherspoon to be named in Canada’s World Cup squad today.
If Les Rouges boss John Herdman had any lingering doubts about including the midfielder these must surely have been removed on the evidence of Wotherspoon’s five-star performance at McDiarmid Park.
St Johnstone stretched their unbeaten run to five matches on the back of three wins and two draws to retain their place in the Premier League’s top six — and Wotherspoon deserves huge credit for helping Saints turn their season around.
Only a late Hearts equaliser denied them a move up to fifth after three matches in six days including a victory over Rangers.
Having called the shots yesterday, Wotherspoon earned glowing praise from Davidson. who said: ‘It was great to see him doing what he does best. Let’s hope he gets into the Canada squad. It would be a massive boost for him and his family obviously, and also for the club. We’re pretty hopeful.
‘We’ve had a lot of positive feedback and, if he’s not in, we’ll be bitterly disappointed. He’s been in every squad when he’s been fit and you saw today he’s ready to go.’
A draw was the fairest result after Blair Spittal’s deflected free-kick in first-half stoppage time cancelled out Drey Wright’s 26th-minute opener.
Davidson added: ‘We scored a really good goal and the equaliser was hard to take because we were quite comfortable. But we’ll take the point and move on.’
Motherwell were a shade more adventurous in the early stages when Stuart McKinstry and Kevin Van Veen combined effectively to pose a threat but, for all that the visitors moved the ball about with greater authority, St Johnstone were dangerous on the break.
So perhaps it was not all that surprising when Saints took the lead. Motherwell’s defensive frailties were exposed when Wotherspoon evaded Sondre Solholm’s effort to block his progress on the left before testing Liam Kelly with a fierce shot.
Kelly responded by stretching to push Wotherspoon’s shot away but succeeded only in diverting it into Wright’s path, leaving the midfielder with the elementary task of steering the ball into the unguarded net.
But parity was restored when Motherwell enjoyed a rub of the green after Wright had conceded a free-kick for a challenge on Sean Goss. Spittal’s effort from 20 yards took a wicked deflection off the defensive wall and landed in the back of Remi Matthews’ net.
After the interval, Melker Hallberg was a shade unfortunate not to hit the target when his 20-yard effort was deflected away from the danger area and the same player also made a timely interception to thwart Van Veen.
Wotherspoon then made a vital contribution before being substituted when he steered the ball away from Callum Slattery as the Motherwell player moved in on a pass from Louis Moult.
Moult was again prominent twice in quick succession when he just failed to control the ball for a clear run on goal after it had been gifted to him by sloppy defending moments before squandering another opportunity by heading tamely over the crossbar.
Saints substitute Ali Crawford blew the chance to earn local hero status when he first had a shot held by Kelly before squandering a stoppage-time free-kick when he sent the ball into orbit.
Motherwell manager Steven Hammell conceded: ‘A point wasn’t what we came for but we will settle for it.
‘I think the break will do us good. It will give the squad a chance to recharge and refresh.’