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David Wotherspoon believes St Johnstone’s Scotland hopefuls are ready to join Perth international brigade

David Wotherspoon is refreshed and ready to go after his exploits with Canada.
David Wotherspoon is refreshed and ready to go after his exploits with Canada.

He teamed-up with Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies as Canada rampaged to a record-breaking win.

And St Johnstone midfielder David Wotherspoon would love to see Perth teammates sharing the international stage.

The Saints star, who is set to face local rivals Dundee in today’s Scottish Cup clash after shaking off jetlag, opened his international account in the 11-0 World Cup qualifying rout of the Cayman Islands.

Midfield partner Ali McCann squared-up against Italy for Northern Ireland.

And one-time Scotland U21 cap Wotherspoon (31) believes McDiarmid teammates like Jason Kerr, Liam Gordon, Jamie McCart and Shaun Rooney should now be popping-up on Scotland’s radar.

“With our recent success and form, you would think they would be there or thereabouts in terms of the Scotland team,” he said.

“I’m disappointed for them because they’ve been playing well and are not getting the recognition.

“Scotland have a good squad so it’s going to be tough.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 28: St Johnstone’s Shaun Rooney celebrates after scoring to make it 1-0 during the Betfred Cup final between Livingston and St Johnstone at Hampden Stadium on February 28, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Shaun Rooney (centre) and Jason Kerr (right) have been touted for Scotland call-ups.

“But if they keep playing the way they are, I don’t see why they can’t force their way into the team.

“It’s a great level to play at. You play against some of the best players in the world.

“It would be a great opportunity for them.

“Playing with them week in, week out they could definitely cope with the high standard. They can push towards that.

“We have a good squad and morale about the team. That is something we want to keep at the club.

“It would be great if we could hold on to everyone and build on our success this year.”

St Johnstone have enjoyed another historic year.

Despite hooking-up with Bayern Munich wingback Davies, the midfielder insists he gets just as much fun from playing alongside Perth defenders Callum Booth and Scott Tanser.

“It’s a great honour and pleasure to play with someone like Alphonso,” he admitted.

“He has won the Champions League and played at such a high level. It is a great experience for me.

“He is still young, still learning but his ability and quality shines through all of the time. His pace is frightening.

“To play in front of someone of that level was a real dream come true for me.

“But I enjoy linking-up with Callum and Scott just as much!

“I look forward to that this weekend if I get the chance.

“We have a good team spirit and seem to be working well down the left-hand side this season.”

Wotherspoon clocked-up the air miles to feature in wins over Bermuda and the Caymans.

But he’s refreshed and raring to go again.

“I’ve had a couple of days to try and swing things round after three flights from Orlando through Atlanta and Amsterdam.

“I got back on Wednesday morning after going through seven time zones. So it has been good to have a couple of days to sort myself out.

“Both our games were based in Orlando. I don’t think the government are letting Canada play at home just now.

“The next two games are in June so we will wait and see where we play them.

“It was a great getting my first goal for Canada. I’m still buzzing and hopefully I can get more caps.

“I went into the Cayman Islands game hoping to get on the scoresheet and I was just delighted to contribute to a record win.

“That was the aim at the outset. We went out to break records and make history for the country.

“Our plan was to get nine-plus goals and it could have been more.

Long-haul is worth it

“I was told to grab the ball out of the back of the net whenever we scored and get ready to go again.

“We got to our target and completed our mission.

“There are boys from all over the world travelling to represent Canada.

“It is a long haul but it is definitely worth it. You get to play with great players and it is a great set-up.

“After beating Bermuda, we knew going into the Cayman Islands game we needed to score more goals than Suriname to boost our chances to going through to the next round.

“These games were just the start of our bid to reach Qatar but it was an exciting start for us.”

St Johnstone duo David Wotherspoon and Stevie May.
Wotherspoon grasps the Betfred Cup with Stevie May.

While he has one eye on next year’s Qatar World Cup, Betfred Cup winner Wotherspoon also harbours European ambitions.

“We’ve reached our first target which was top six. We were buzzing about that but look to the next one.

“That is possibly European football. It is something we will keep fighting for and strive towards.

“This is a massive game for both teams.

Tough game v Dundee

“It is an opportunity to start another cup run after our Betfred success.

“Dundee have a lot of players who have played in the Premiership.

“They have a good squad and we won’t take them lightly because they are in the division below us.

“It is going to be a tough game and you have to fight for everything in a derby.

“It would have been great to have the fans in there in huge numbers. We are still gutted about it.

“But eventually they will get a chance to come back and watch us.”

Dundee v St Johnstone: Where on TV can you watch Saturday’s all-Tayside Scottish Cup clash?