St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has praised Callum Booth for his “fantastic shift” at Dens Park after only returning to training from a Covid-19 absence the day before the clash with Dundee.
Davidson admitted that the prospects of his only fit left-back being available for selection were looking bleak 24 hours ahead of the crucial Premiership basement battle.
The gamble paid off, though.
And lasting 90 minutes on a hot spring afternoon was a testament to Booth’s mental strength and physical application.
“Callum Booth had Covid and had missed training for 10 days,” Davidson revealed.
“We had to play him for the full 90 minutes and it’s a great credit to his character that he was able to do that for the team.
“After training on Friday I was unsure whether he’d be able to play.
“That was his first training session.
“It wasn’t looking good to be honest.
“But we made the decision on Saturday morning and he put in a fantastic shift.”
Likes a tackle
Cammy MacPherson came off the bench when Saints were pushing hard for an equaliser.
And he’s made a strong case to be a starter against former club St Mirren this weekend.
“Cammy did well when he came on,” said Davidson.
“He’s likes a tackle and will put his body on the line.
“Obviously he’s coming up against his former club but that won’t be an issue if he plays.
“He’s itching to get a start.
“The boys in midfield have been really good and he’s had to be patient.
“There’s a big future ahead of him and I’m delighted that I’ve now got depth in my squad that allows me to bring players like Cammy on.
“I thought he did very well.”
Meanwhile, it should be the same squad available to Davidson on Saturday.
“Murray (Davidson) and Callum (Hendry) both had knocks at the weekend,” he reported. “But everybody should be fine apart from the guys with long-term injuries.”
