Callum Davidson has been up all night for the last few days – and he expects a fairly busy end to the transfer window at St Johnstone.

The Saints boss was a happy man on Saturday night as his side capped off a fine week with a 3-2 comeback win over Kilmarnock. 2-0 down at the break, second half goals from Guy Melamed, Murray Davidson and Ali McCann sealed a brilliant win.

Hibernian v St Johnstone - Betfred Cup Semi-Final

Big St Johnstone win. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)

It allows them to look up instead of down and Davidson was delighted but cautious not to get too far ahead: “The first half was funny because that was probably the best we’ve played recently, so I was disappointed to be two goals down.

“We used the ball well and my only criticism was how we defended both goals. I asked the players at half-time to keep showing that belief and I believed the next goal would be crucial.

“Fortunately, we got it and that gave us the chance to come back at them and I thought the players were brilliant second half – their attitude, the way they got on the ball and got into spaces to hurt Kilmarnock and when the chances came we took them.

St. Mirren v St. Johnstone - Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership

Happy man. (Photo by Alan Harvey/SNS Group via Getty Images)

“Some of them were scrappy goals but I’ll take that. It was also a fine finish from Ali McCann to win it. I’d told them to keep playing forward and retain that positive mindset and that’s what they did. I also told them not to panic or rush passes and they didn’t.

“But Kilmarnock are very good on the counter-attack and we couldn’t afford to let them score that third goal. It’s been a good week, winning the Betfred Cup semi-final and then drawing a tough game against Aberdeen and now this. Hopefully this will give the lads confidence for the matches to come.

“I think we can make the top six if we can carry on our form of this month. I’m still more concerned with getting the points to ensure we stay in this league and then we can move forward from there.”
St Johnstone's Callum Hendry

Will only move if it’s right for St Johnstone. (Photo by Paul Devlin/SNS Group via Getty Images)

The transfer deadline looms large and there’s interest in striker Callum Hendry from Aberdeen, who want him on a loan basis as Sam Cosgrove nears a switch to Birmingham City. He’s someone with a big future in Perth according to Davidson.
And the Saints boss predicts late shifts over Sunday and Monday, saying Hendry will only leave if ‘it’s right’: “I have been up all night the last two or three nights! But I don’t know, hopefully there’s one or two things that fall into place.
“There’s a lot of work to be done so we’ll wait and see. Callum will only move  if it’s right for him and myself.  Callum wants to play football and, for me, it has to be the right move for him to develop. I see him as a big player for me next season.  He is still young in terms of development. I rate him really highly.”
NTOF now offers a YouTube channel featuring exclusive interviews, post-match discussion, in-depth debate, and much more – LIKE and SUBSCRIBE and don’t miss any of our videos.
Have something to tell us about this article?