OK, if you’re being pedantic he didn’t quite last the full game.
But don’t be kidded by the fact Callum Hendry was substituted with the McDiarmid Park clock at 88 minutes.
The St Johnstone striker has met the challenge laid down by his manager to become a “90 minute player” – which makes his late winner against Livingston on Saturday the sweetest of his nine goals for the season.
The supersub tag won’t be his for much longer.
Hendry said: “I’ve never had that before – staying on the pitch for so long and then scoring the winner.
“That goal was massive for me.
“After the goal went in I was tightening up a bit. It’s a step closer to a full 90 minutes, though.
“It shows my fitness is improving. This time last month I wouldn’t have reached that point on the game.
“Hopefully 90 minutes will be next.”
Tommy Wright paid Hendry the ultimate compliment when making a change up front with 20 minutes to go and it was Stevie May’s number on the substitute board and not his own.
“In the back of my mind my first thought was ‘the gaffer’s put his faith in me today instead of Mayso’,” he said.
“It’s good for me but the most important thing is it paid off for the team.”
Hendry’s last year of football is a remarkable story – struggling to get a game for Brechin City who were toiling at the bottom of League One just over a year ago, to becoming one of the leading goalscorers in the Premiership.
“I never expected to be in this position,” the 22-year-old admitted. “New contract and scoring goals for St Johnstone.
“It’s every boy’s dream.
“Brechin was the low point in my career. It wasn’t where I wanted to be. I’m just delighted I’ve turned things around this quickly.”
What has been the key to the stunning career transformation?
“Keeping my head down and dealing with set-backs,” he said. “There are a lot more lows than highs in football.
“I’ve worked hard and the harder you work, the luckier you get. I’ve had that drilled into me from day dot.
“I’m definitely mentally tougher than I was back then.”
Hendry is the most lethal penalty box finisher in the Saints squad, with Saturday’s winner the latest example. Drey Wright’s delivery from the right was a thing of footballing beauty, though.
“Drey’s cross made it easy for me,” said Hendry. “It meant I didn’t need to put any power on it. There were loads of hugs in the changing room afterwards.
“A lot of credit goes to him.”
Saints are the form team in the race for a top six place and the Perth players know it.
“It was a massive, massive three points for us if we’re looking to finish in the top six,” said Hendry.
“Livi are such a hard team to break down and I’m just so pleased I was able to get my goal in the end.
“All we want now is top six and we know we’re in touching distance of it.
“We knew that people had been writing us off earlier in the season but we’ve turned it around.
“We’re confident we can do it.
“Results against the teams above us like Motherwell and Aberdeen have been big – and now Livingston.
“You can’t write us off. Everybody knows we’ve got momentum and hopefully it has come at just the right time.”
This was an arm-wrestle of a contest, which had 0-0 written all over it. Both sides forced one good save out of the opposition keeper in the first half but the second period was a non-event in the penalty boxes until Wright and Hendry (with a good ball from Ali McCann to start the move off) did their thing.
Wright said: “It was a poor game. Both teams can play better and I’m sure Gary (Holt) will agree. But ultimately it’s about getting results at this stage of the season.
“We’ve kept a clean sheet against a team that asks you a lot of questions with their long throws and balls into the box.
“It was a big test for our three young centre-backs, who came through it really well.
“These are the type of games that are won by a bit of quality or a mistake and we produced that quality.
“It was a great ball in that took everybody out of the game and Callum was there to get on the end of it with a great finish.
“If it was 0-0 we’d have had no complaints but we showed character to come through in the end.”
