Countless Dundee United players have gone on to appear for St Johnstone over the last few decades, many earning themselves a place in Muirton Park and McDiarmid Park folklore after doing so.
The likes of Benny Rooney, Harry Curran, Alan Main, John O’Neil, Allan Preston, Danny Swanson, Steven Anderson and Craig Conway will always spring to mind when great Saints teams and great Saints successes are talked about.
The group who have signed for the Tangerines after playing for Saints is far smaller, though.
Courier Sport picks out five men who were heroes to Perth fans before their careers took them across Tayside, including the most recent and arguably best of them all, David Wotherspoon.
Henry Hall
Renowned as Saints’ finest ever goal scorer, Hall made himself a legend in Willie Ormond’s team of the late 60s and early 70s.
He helped the club to their first cup final and to third in the old First Division, before finding the net in a famous 3-0 defeat of Hamburg in the Uefa Cup.
Hall hit double figures for six seasons in a row – three of those tallies were 20 and over.
Henry Hall of St Johnstone. (Apps 256, Goals 114). Debut against St Mirren at Muirton Park in 1968. pic.twitter.com/QkVfj5OMQ2
— PictureThis Scotland (@74frankfurt) June 13, 2018
There were still plenty of goals left in him when he moved to Tannadice in 1975 (for just £3,000).
In the second of his two seasons under Jim McLean, United finished fourth in the new Premier Division and secured European football.
Stuart Beedie
In the summer of 1981, the Saints board showed admirable foresight by allowing manager, Alex Rennie to spend some of the Ally McCoist transfer money before the future Scotland international’s move to Sunderland had been finalised.
Montrose got £20,000 for their classy midfielder.
Beedie and McCoist actually played together on a few occasions – the Aberdonian was set-up by the young rising star for his first goal for Saints in the League Cup against Hibs at Easter Road.
The following season, Beedie was an integral member of the First Division title-winning side and, even though 1982-83 turned out to be a Premier Division slog and part-time Saints went straight back down, he shone in the top flight.
Brightly enough for United to buy him for £90,000.
Probably my favourite night of any Scottish club in Europe.
Dundee United giving Man Utd a lesson in counter-attacking football.
Jim McLean at his best.
The thrilling Paul Sturrock.
That pass from Stuart Beedie.
The Arabs packed behind that goal.
👏👏👏https://t.co/IiXAFihaZf— Graham Spiers (@GrahamSpiers) December 27, 2020
Beedie’s Tannadice stay only lasted two seasons but he certainly made his mark – scoring the opening goal of the 1985 Scottish Cup final and then playing that pass to slice open the Manchester United defence at Old Trafford in the Uefa Cup and give Paul Sturrock the opportunity to equalise in front of a packed away end.
Leigh Jenkinson
Like Beedie, Jenkinson spent three seasons in Perth and helped Saints win a First Division title in the middle one.
His free-kick in the New Year’s Day 7-2 thrashing of Dundee is one of the most fondly remembered McDiarmid Park goals.
New Year’s Day. 1997. Dundee. Leigh Jenkinson. 7-2.
— St Johnstone Fans (@StJohnstoneFans) April 19, 2022
The Yorkshireman was quick – fast enough to get to the final of the Rumbelows Cup sprint challenge at Wembley.
But it was the Jenkinson ‘shuffle’, buying himself space to cross for Roddy Grant or George O’Boyle, that was the former Coventry City man’s signature skill.
Jenkinson further endeared himself to Saints fans by smashing a volley past Sieb Dijkstra for a 2-1 win at Tannadice in 1998.
Paul Sturrock signed him for a second time as United boss two years later (John McQuillan was another he recruited) but Jenkinson only made four appearances (one start) in tangerine and black during a short loan spell from Hearts.
Danny Griffin
In the early 90s, academy chief, Alistair Stevenson, persuaded a 15-year-old Griffin to ignore the bright lights of Glasgow and big clubs in England and instead sign for Saints.
It only took him two years to break into the first team and by 18 he’d been capped by his country and had rejected a £1 million move to Derby County.
Christian Dailly has a lot to thank him for.
Griffin wanted to continue his football education under Sturrock and John Blackley, which he did at McDiarmid then Tannadice, after he was bought by United for £600,000.
Injuries blighted his four years there but he did well enough to be chosen as skipper by Alex Smith for the 2001/02 season – making him the only one on this list to captain both sides.
He completed the full set of the three big Tayside clubs towards the end of his career but the Belfast boy is St Johnstone through and through and remains a popular figure with Perthshire children in his Saints in the Community role.
David Wotherspoon
United fans will hope and expect the Canadian international to help the Tangerines see off the Championship challenge of Raith Rovers and bounce back into the Premiership.
Jim Goodwin’s team is crying out for Wotherspoon’s creativity judging by their recent stodgy performances.
Even if he does indeed help United across the line, though, the Bridge of Earn man won’t get close to emulating his achievements in Perth.
Three times a cup-winner, he’s regarded by many as the club’s greatest player of all time, and near the top of his highlight reel is the 2014 Scottish Cup final run into the box that tied Andy Robertson in knots.
How to defend like a Champions League winner, starring Andrew Robertson. @Spoony_10 pic.twitter.com/rnzX82vOSx
— St Johnstone 1884 (@stjohnstone1884) June 2, 2019
As with all the others on this list, playing for a local rival won’t impact his legendary status at St Johnstone – unless the clubs meet in an end-of-season play-off and Wotherspoon does a Denis Law, of course!
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