First Team
Tam Scobbie on Saints' New Year ambitions
13th January 2017
Friday 13th January
St. Johnstone returned to training this week following a few days off as part of the league’s winter break, allowing a three week gap between the last match at Dundee on Hogmanay and our Scottish Cup tie at home to Stenhousemuir on Saturday 21st January.
On Friday morning we caught up with left-back Tam Scobbie to reflect on the season so far and to look ahead to a busy schedule of matches coming up.
“I think if you take the Dundee match out of the equation it would have been a very good end to the year. We were obviously massively disappointed to end on a real low at Dundee, a big derby game for the Saints fans. It was a game we never really showed up for, but the performances up to that game were great and hopefully we can continue our form from December into the New Year.”
With a busy schedule over the festive period, a winter break is something warmly welcomed by the 28-year-old and his team mates.
“I think people have been crying out for a winter break for a number of years. It gives people a few days off and looking back to the last four years where we started back early to play in the Europa League qualifiers, we probably would have welcomed a winter break then too.
“It’s a good thing to have and the manager gave us a few days off to spend time with the families, but now we’ve come back and go right back into it again.”
Despite the first game back being a Scottish Cup match against the bottom side from League One, Scobbie is positive his team mates will not take the men from Ochilview lightly.
“We will treat the tie like any other game. We have ambitions for us to do well in the Scottish Cup, but Stenhousemuir will be hoping to come here and cause an upset.
“There’s occasions in the Scottish Cup when the underdog can get a result so we need to guard against that and give the type of performance levels we showed in the games against Rangers and Kilmarnock. We’re aiming to have a good cup run and give these fans another taste of success in the competition.”
Despite the Stenhousemuir match kicking off a schedule of five matches in the space of 16 days for Saints, the former Falkirk player believes the team will relish the opportunity to get back playing games again.
“It’s great. Players like games coming thick and fast and the gaffer will utilise the squad in the number of games coming up. It’s a squad game and as you’ve seen in previous seasons we always have players capable of coming in and doing well.
“We just need to keep the performances from the Kilmarnock and Rangers matches going and prepare in the right way. The manager and Callum (Davidson) like to prepare us fully and I’m sure that’s what we’ll be doing with these games even though they’re coming thick and fast.”
Going into the second half of the season, the former Scotland U21 international believes the team’s target of making it a sixth successive season in the top six can be met, despite what critics said at the beginning of the season.
“I think if we can cement ourselves in the top six it would be another fantastic season for St. Johnstone, the backroom staff and the players.
“Going into this season we knew it was going to be difficult with a strengthened Hearts team and Rangers coming back into the league. Some said we’d be down in the bottom half of the table but thankfully our performances have shown we’re a good side, and we’ve been in the top six for a number of months now.
“In the next part of the season we want to get as far up the table as possible and we look to do that in these games coming up in quick succession.”
And finally, it’s been a frustrating season personally for Scobbie with injury forcing him out of action for a number of weeks, but he was pleased to return to action in December, making his first start since August in the 1-1 draw at home to Motherwell on 17th December.
“It’s been tough, no one likes being injured. But it’s part and parcel of being a footballer, so it comes with the territory. It was a longer road than expected but in the end we made sure we took our time and ticked all the boxes so the physio and coaches could get me back to 100%. I was delighted to get back in the team and get back amongst it, and when needed again I hope I can do well and add to the team.”
RC.