CALLUM Davidson is a veteran of many a high-pressure game for club and country.
But the novice St Johnstone assistant manager admits he is still getting his head round the dug-out role.
The former Scotland defender has enjoyed, if that is the correct expression, something of a baptism of fire as back-to-back matches with Norwegian side Rosenborg set up tomorrow's Europa League qualifier against Belarus cup winners FC Minsk. Davidson, who teamed up with manager Tommy Wright when Steve Lomas left for Millwall, said: "I used to get nervous before the game – now I get nervous all through it. As a player the nerves used to stop when the whistle went. But it's good nerves. It's excitement more than anything. It replicates playing a little bit. There were four minutes' extra against Rosenborg because there were a couple of stoppages plus subs. They were wanting six – I don't know where that came from. That was nerve-racking."
Football gives, football takes away – the extra minutes that drained his reserves of nerves were matched by omissions that also contributed to a sense of angst. "I got a couple of things wrong on the bench – but these are little things you learn from," the 17-cap player said. "It was just set pieces. I was sitting watching the game and Tommy said 'he's coming on – who's picking him up?' and I said 'I don't know – I'm enjoying the game'. I'd forgotten to take a copy of the set pieces out. Alec Cleland was in the stand with them. Kit man Tommy Campbell went running up for them."
"My memories of playing in Eastern Europe are of big running tracks," he explained. "I thought I hadn't played in Belarus before then I looked at my under-21 record and discovered I had, in Minsk, and it was 1-0 to Belarus in 1997. I was at St Johnstone at the time. I've played in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia – all of them really. They are all similar teams, technically very good and strong. They also like to shoot from distance. They're well organised and hard to beat; it will be very tough."
Whatever the likely vices (or strengths) of the opposition, at least the former Leicester City, Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers defender layer has a sure grasp of his virtues. "Going away it's about patience again, adopting the same approach as against Rosenborg," he said. "We've got quite an experienced team. It's experience at the back that counts and I think that was shown last season. We've good experience in the middle of the park as well. It's about playing to your shape and not wanting to win the game there and then. It's over two legs so it's about staying in the tie over there. If you go gung ho and start chasing the ball you can find yourself two or three goals down."
One player capable of supplying those strikes for FC Minsk is 27-year-old striker Leonid Kovel, just signed from Irtysh Pavlodar, although his registration must still be ratified by UEFA. Davidson shares the same number of caps as the Belarusian, but must be hoping his extra 10 years' experience comes to the fore when the final tallies are totted up.
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