It’s Saints’ alive for Ali as he eyes a first Hampden outing
When Ali Crawford signed for St Johnstone on loan at the end of last month, one of his main reasons for moving to Mcdiarmid Park was a simple desire to start enjoying football once more.
The 30-year-old midfielder had endured a tough time at Bolton Wanderers, and was farmed out in February for an ill-fated spell at Tranmere Rovers.
After that, Crawford was determined to get back playing regularly, and even consulted a mindset coach to ensure he would be ready when the right move came along.
That chance came when Saints stepped in to bring him back to Scotland for the first time since he left Hamilton Accies to join Doncaster Rovers in 2018.
Crawford is already repaying Perth boss Callum Davidson’s faith in him, netting his first goal for the club on Wednesday night as Dundee were dumped out of the Premier Sports Cup to secure a semi-final spot against Celtic.
However, before that big day at the National Stadium, Crawford and Saints’ full focus will be on Premiership business, and today’s tricky trip to face second-top Hibs.
Crawford said: “My last goal was almost a year ago – for Bolton against Stevenage – so it was a great feeling to score against Dundee.
“I was just delighted to see it finish in the back of the net. When it went in, there was a bit of relief and a bit of excitement.
“I love playing football and I love scoring goals.
“It had been a tough six to eight months for me, and I wanted to start enjoying my football again. I felt ready to go if someone came in for me, and thankfully St Johnstone gave me that chance.
“I’m just happy to be back on a football pitch and getting a goal is a real bonus.”
St Johnstone, of course, won both major cups last season and can now look forward to their fifth trip to Hampden this year.
However, it will be Crawford’s first time playing there, and he admitted: “That was one of the reasons I wanted to come here in the first place.
“St Johnstone had done so well last season, and I knew with the squad there was a chance they could repeat that this season.
“We have managed to reach a semi-final, but it will be a great occasion.
“We have only lost six games out of the last 31. So we are on a good run, even if we took a little while to find our feet this season.”
Boss Davidson will now look to secure their third win in a row by beating Hibs at Easter Road.
Jack Ross’s side have made a good start, but Crawford is confident Saints can win in the capital, just like former side Hamilton did in a memorable play-off against the Hibees back in 2014 that secured promotion to the Premiership.
Crawford added: “Hibs are on a good run as well. But we are high on confidence and there is no reason why we can’t go there and get a result.
“It is a ground where I have some great memories, and I always enjoy going back there.
“I played in the second leg of the play-off when we came from 2-0 down in the first leg to win on penalties.
“It was a special day and it would be nice if St Johnstone could come away with a win.”