CALLUM DAVIDSON insists St Johnstone are not favourites for the Scottish Cup, despite their League Cup successes earlier this season.
The Perth outfit are set to take on St Mirren at the national stadium on Sunday with Hibernian and Dundee United locking horns on Saturday in the other semi-final of the competition.
Davidson admits confidence is brewing amongst his McDiarmid Park squad after their Hampden heroics back in February, but he still feels his team should be named among the underdogs.
He said: “St Johnstone favourites? That’s probably the first time I’ve heard that! The players are getting praised for how well they’re playing and rightly so.
“But we’re not the favourites in my opinion. Hibs have had a fantastic season. Dundee United, St Mirren and ourselves have been very similar in the league.
“There was very little to separate us in the table. It doesn’t bother me or the players if we’re called the favourites but I’m still calling us the underdogs.
“For a club like ours to win the cup double – you’d call that impossible. If anything that makes us the least likely of the four.”
Saints guided their way into the semi-final stage after defeating Rangers in heroic fashion in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
There are murmurings around the Perth support of a famous cup double, but Davidson is reluctant to discuss such feats quite yet.
He continued: “Before this year we had only ever won the Scottish Cup once and we’d never won the League Cup. To win both competitions in one season wouldn’t have even been in the wildest dreams of any St Johnstone supporter.
“But we’ve got the chance to do it. There’s a 25 per cent chance of us succeeding at the moment and hopefully that’s up to 50 per cent by Sunday. We’re in there fighting for it and we’re going to enjoy it.”
Davidson is very much a manager who salutes his team as a whole instead of singling out specific players for their performances.
But ahead of this weekend’s semi-final, the Saints gaffer has broken his usual protocol and heaped praise upon captain Jason Kerr.
He beamed: “Since the turn of the year Jason has been our best and most consistent player, even though the other two centre-halves could probably argue about that. And there are others.
“I think he’s been phenomenal. He’s grown into the role of captain and handled it very well off the pitch, which is a big thing. He’s got the backing of the players and has gone on from strength to strength.
“He’s quite a sensible young man. He’s not a bawler or a shouter. He trains unbelievably well and leads on the pitch with his attitude. His desire to win games of football is a big thing. Players follow that.
“It was tough to be a captain at a young age. Liam Craig has helped him grow into the position.”
Kerr smashed home a penalty in the shootout against Rangers in the quarter-final and the spot kick not only came as a shock to fans, but also his manager.
Davidson laughed: “I didn’t expect that one. I think my eyes were shut when he was taking it! It was a great penalty, wasn’t it.
“It shows you the confidence he has and I was delighted he took the responsibility.”
Davidson made seven changes as his team defeated Hibernian at Easter Road on Saturday and he now has somewhat of a selection headache ahead of St Mirren this weekend.
He added: “Most of the players have got two 90 minutes in the last four games. They’re all match fit, which isn’t easy in Covid time because you can’t play bounce games.
“It’s a tough team for me to pick. I’ve got players who have done well for me in big games. But it is a good position to be in.”
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