It’s a football story that will never grow old.
From Steven Gerrard at Liverpool to Charlie Adam at Dundee and all the Graeme Shinnies, Alan Shearers, Harry Kanes and Gary Lockes who fulfilled a common dream. Though it might not happen as often as it used to, as long as the game is played, boyhood fan to first team captain is a heart-warming theme certain to endure.
And judging by the reaction of Liam Gordon and the St Johnstone supporters, the impact of completing a scarf to skipper journey has lost none of its wonder.
With regular captain Jason Kerr and his stand-in for the previous two games, Liam Craig, both on the bench at Celtic Park on Sunday, manager Callum Davidson chose Gordon to lead the team out.
The moment Davidson broke the good news is one the Saints centre-back will cherish forever.
“When the gaffer told me I was captain I thought: ‘Did he just say that’?” he said.
“It’s a great honour and a dream for me to captain the club I have grown up supporting and the team I always wanted to play for.
“Before the game I didn’t really think about it too much because I had a job to do.
“I didn’t feel any added pressure. At the end of the day it’s an armband on your arm. It doesn’t make you a better or worse player.
“Afterwards when you get messages from family and friends, you realise the magnitude of it.
“Being a local lad makes it extra special and getting a positive result made it that bit sweeter.”
If there is such a thing as a silver spoon in Scottish football, it didn’t get close to Gordon’s mouth.
Gordon wasn’t the academy kid who was destined for all this from a young age. The charm of his career-path is to be found in its twists and turns.
Perth boys’ club football was followed by time spent in the development set-ups at Dundee, Raith Rovers and Hearts. And after Tommy Wright took a chance on him it wasn’t until he’d been farmed out to Arbroath, Elgin City and Peterhead that a pathway to the Saints’ top team opened up before him.
If there is such a thing as a silver spoon in the Scottish game, it didn’t get close to Gordon’s mouth.
“Everyone who knows me realises it has not been an easy ride,” said the 24-year-old. “There have been a lot of times when I’ve had to dig in.
“There were times when it got hard and you question whether what I was doing was the right thing.
“But it shows that the hard work and determination to get to this spot has paid off. I’ve always been confident in my own ability.
“It shows all the young lads playing at the moment that if you have the right attitude and are willing to put work in, you can go a long way.”
Having something tangible to show for his first game as captain was the most important aspect of Sunday afternoon for Gordon.
“We knew before the game we had a chance,” he said, reflecting on the 1-1 draw. “If we matched them like we did at the start of the season, we would be able to get something.
“When you come to Parkhead you need your goalkeeper to have a good game. Zander (Clark) was always going to have to pull off good saves.
“You are up against the best players in the country and the ones on the most money.
“It was really good to see us put in a performance like that against them.”
Chris Kane couldn’t have picked a better time to score his first Premiership goal of the season.
“Kano has probably been involved in some games that didn’t end too well against Celtic over the years,” said Gordon.
“He is a great lad, a great professional and always works hard. All of the boys think he has been fantastic coming off the bench.
“He was probably disappointed he wasn’t starting but his attitude was incredible again. I’m so happy he managed to get the goal.”
The greedy footballer in Gordon will think about what might have been but the pragmatic footballer is happy to accept that a Celtic equaliser wasn’t the precursor to a second goal for the home team.
He said: “We were buzzing to go ahead but it’s no different to taking the lead against any other team in the league.
“You get the sudden euphoria but know you need to get yourself back on the ground and keep focused.
“We knew we were going to get the kitchen sink thrown at us and we were prepared for that.
“It’s disappointing losing the goal but it wasn’t like we were undone by a great bit of play. It was more of a flick-on.
“Nine times out of 10 it goes over the top or into big Zander’s hands.
“But the point keeps the unbeaten run going. All in all, we need to be happy.”
Different personalities bring different qualities to a leadership role. For Gordon’s manager, maintaining your own high playing standard is top of the list of ‘must dos’.
“I left it until just before kick-off to tell him he was captain,” said Davidson.
“It certainly didn’t change his performance or his attitude. That’s really important and I knew that would be the case with Liam.
“He’s always a leader on the pitch anyway, talking and organising. His own game was at a really good level as well.
“There were a few others who I could have named captain but with Jason and Liam (Craig) on the bench, I thought he was the next in line.
“I’m sure he’s very proud, and the same for his family. When his career is finished he’ll be able to look back and say that he captained his home-town team. Not a lot of people can say that.
“As with Jason, Liam played boys club football before he went to a professional club. There are different routes you can take to have a career in the game.
“Liam had the determination and drive to do it. He left Hearts because he wanted to play football.”
St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson not content to stop at 11 unbeaten
