FOR most of his St Johnstone career Murray Davidson has been content to take a back seat in the Perth dressing room. But the departures of Steven MacLean, Chris Millar and Alan Mannus mean the 30-year-old midfielder is now one of the more senior professionals at McDiarmid Park.
Manger Tommy Wright has trimmed the average age of his squad and only Steven Anderson, David Wotherspoon and Brian Easton remain from the side who beat Dundee United to win the 2014 Scottish Cup, a game Davidson missed through injury.
“I am one of the older ones here now. We have lost some big characters from the dressing room,” Davidson said. “We have always had influential, older guys like Macca, big Al and Midgey in my time here. Even before that there were players like Frazer Wright and Dave Mackay you would look to. Now I look around the dressing room and see 21 and 22-year-olds. The squad has got younger. And it hits home you are getting older. That’s just part of life. I am one of the more experienced players here now.
“I know if you’re one of the older ones you have to lead by example and help younger players through it if they are having a tough time.”
After their 2-0 defeat at Kilmarnock on the opening day of the season – a result that infuriated manager Wright – Davidson readily accepts Saints will have to up their game when they take on Hibernian at home today.
“When you have had a disappointing game you have to pick yourselves up and everyone has to be in it together,” he said. “We are all wanting positive things for St Johnstone and we have good players here. It’s a long season and everyone will have to contribute at some stage.
“It was disappointing against Kilmarnock but we are ready to go again. Obviously we want to get points on the board asap so it is important we try to do that against a good Hibs team which has started the season well. It’s up to us to put in a more positive performance and get a better result.
“Collectively and individually Kilmarnock were better than us. We know we have to be better. We have to improve and we have been working on things this week in training.
“Hibs have assembled a good squad with some excellent players. This is obviously going to be a really tough game. Taking the end of last season into account Killie and Hibs were two of the form teams. You look at the league this year and it is going to be extremely tough. But all we can do is focus on ourselves.”
Hibs are coming off the back of a Europa League first-leg clash with Norwegians Molde, but Davidson, who has savoured Euro nights with Saints, believes that won’t help the hosts.
“There are pros and cons about playing league games after Europe. Everyone gets a buzz from European games, especially when you do well. It can be tiring but when we were in Europe I always looked on it as a positive.
“Tiredness won’t come into it because we are so early in the season. I don’t see this as an advantage for us. It is only Thursday to Sunday and we are all professionals. Hibs will have been able to recover and they have a big squad so Neil Lennon can make changes and handle it. With the squad they have put together I’m sure they will have been thinking of making the group stages.”
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