Getting to know... James Muir

Growing up in Oban, James Muir was just as often seen scurrying around the shinty field as he was the football pitch.

Shinty, in fact, was probably his favoured sport when he was reaching the point of making the transition from primary school to secondary school. The buzz and adrenaline-rush associated with carrying the caman was strong.

Football had never been completely pushed to the side, though. And, as the years progressed, his ability with a ball at his feet grew stronger and his talents noticed with greater regularity.

That talent eventually led to a trial with us here at St Johnstone and, after impressing, he was signed up earlier this year to play with our under-18s squad.

“I’ve played football since I was able to walk, although I did fall in and out of the game a wee bit,” James (16) smiled. “I was actually a bit more of a shinty guy for a while.

“Sometimes you need to pick your sport. But towards the end of primary school, I was definitely more into the shinty. If I had to pick at that point, it was shinty.

“I never lost football completely, but I was just enjoying shinty that little bit more. We played at the national tournament a couple of times and managed to get to the semi-final, so we had a decent team.

“We played shinty at school and then afterwards too. I’d say it is the most popular sport in Oban alongside football. Rugby is up there too.

“But I got back into the football at 11-a-side and started playing properly with Oban Saints through their youth teams and was also in a national development squad for grassroots players around Scotland. We would play against pro youth teams every two or three weeks.

“When I was around 15, I made the jump to senior football with the men’s team at Oban Saints. They were a decent amateur team and I was able to play week in, week out.

“I was scouted a couple of times but nothing came of it, then I managed to get a trial with St Johnstone. I trained with the U16s once and jumped up to the U18s. I was on trial right through until May before I signed.”

James, predominantly a central midfielder, has been settling into the U18s squad well. He makes the lengthy car journey from the west coast for training and matches in the Club Academy Scotland Performance League on a weekly basis.

He explained: “There is a lot of travelling and mum and dad help with that, which is brilliant. It is definitely a bit harder doing it from Oban – a stumbling block maybe – but there are more people from the town starting to make their mark at clubs.

“It is not just one person, it is four or five and that is nice to see. You know that others are in the same boat as you. I’m used to the travelling now, although the journey can be long if you get stuck behind traffic! But I’m always willing to do it.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time at Saints so far. I’ve managed to score a couple of goals and get a few assists. I’ve also played in a few different positions, but I don’t mind that at all. I’ll play wherever, as long as I’m playing.

“I’ve played left-back, right-back, on the wing and in the middle. I’m mostly in the middle of the park but it’s good to be versatile.”

The U18s are back in action this coming Friday and welcome Dundee to the McDiarmid Park astroturf. The kick-off time will be confirmed shortly. 

“Hopefully we can do really well in the league again,” James said. “You always want to be ambitious, set high standards and reach high targets.

“Dundee will be a strong team. They always are. I’ve played against them twice before and I imagine it will be a tight game. Hopefully we can get three points.”