Brian Easton admits St Johnstone’s old boys are under pressure from a new generation.
The Perth full-back has watched a string of kids stake claims for jerseys with impressive performances in pre-season.
At 29, there plenty miles left in the tank, but Easton is ready to mentor a crop of youngsters rated highly by manager Tommy Wright.
He said: “The younger boys have looked really good in the friendlies.
“A few played in the game against Rangers at Murray Park when we won 1-0 and didn’t look out of place at all.
“So we’re definitely now watching our backs, which is good. They are great lads and are all really eager to learn.
“Over the last four years the first team squad has been full of experienced senior players.
“During this pre-season it’s felt like a much younger changing room and it’s making me feel a bit older.
“As long as they can step up to the standard of first team training, which they all have done, then it’s brilliant for the club.”
Easton has never forgotten his mentors as a youngster breaking through at Hamilton.
He was part of a Hamilton Accies golden generation, including James McCarthy and James McArthur, who secured moves to England.
“There were plenty of players who took me under their wing,” he recalled. “It was around 10 years ago, but it doesn’t feel like that long ago.
“Mark McLaughlin was a great at Hamilton and Alex Neil was captain at the time.
“He was very demanding but he had that intelligence and knew how to get the best out of you. There were a lot of players like that at Hamilton.
“With the help I got when I was younger, I now like to do the same to the guys here – as long as they try to listen and learn.
“We try to help them out and coach them by using our experience. They are all willing to listen and want to get better.
“When you see that from the younger boys, it’s brilliant.”
Easton has shrugged off an injury which hampered him in the Europa League and will get game time against Hartlepool tomorrow.
“I’m fully fit again and got 45 minutes against Rangers. I felt I could have played longer but you need to be cautious,” he said.
“I’m happy to be back playing because it’s not nice being in with the physio all of the time.
“I had a slight pull in my calf a couple of days after the first leg of the European game.
“It wasn’t too bad but after we were knocked out by Trakai I was given an extra few days to make sure it was right.
“If you aren’t training with the boys or playing in the games, it gets frustrating.
“I want to play as much football as I can before the season starts. We have two games arranged and a lot of boys need game time.
“We’ll see what happens because we’ve not been told how long everyone is going to play.
“It will help being back in full training and now I just need to work hard.”
