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Dave Mackay recommended Griffiths as a Saints signing

Dave MacKay battles for the ball with Motherwell's Louis Moult.
Dave MacKay battles for the ball with Motherwell's Louis Moult.

Dave Mackay once recommended Leigh Griffiths as a St Johnstone signing.

But today the Saints captain will have the job of shackling the Celtic frontman.

Derek McInnes was keen on bringing the livewire attacker to McDiarmid Park, and Mackay gave his former Livingston team-mate a glowing reference.

The move to Saints didn’t pan out, but Griffiths has gone on to prove Mackay right by becoming Celtic’s main goal threat.

And with the Perth skipper now a centre-back, the two are likely to be in direct opposition.

“I think Derek was close to bringing him in a couple of times,” the Perth skipper recalled. “I can remember speaking about it. But it never quite happened.

“A few years ago we would have had a chance of getting him but he’s kicked on.

“The first season he came through at Livingston he was used mostly as a sub. Then he scored a lot of goals when he got his chance. He was a bit raw but he was a finisher.

“He’s improving his hold-up play. His movement has always been good and nine times out of 10 if he gets a chance, he scores.

“When he was at Livingston and Dundee he had a lot to improve on. He always worked very hard in training. It was maybe off the park that he had a few issues.

“But he seems to be maturing. He’s part of the Scotland squad and he’s Celtic’s main striker.”

Tommy Wright has brought in another right-back this week, Darnell Fisher from Celtic, but Mackay would still be happy to slot back in there, if and when he is needed.

“It’s never been discussed with the manager that I’m now a centre-back,” he pointed out. “It’s not nailed on.

“With a right-back coming in it might be the case but I’m still available if required there.

“I enjoy playing at full-back. It’s a totally different type of game. Sometimes at centre-half you don’t feel as if you’ve been very involved.

“It’s night and day in terms of running and how much of the pitch you have to cover.

“You have to read the game more from centre-back. The quickest players are normally wingers. Just look at Michael O’Halloran he can make full-backs look stupid.

“When you’re playing at centre-half it’s easier because you’re very rarely caught in a one v one situation. You can give yourself a yard or two.

“I do miss being more involved in the game and the attacking side of it but I also enjoy just concentrating on being a defender.

“I signed for Dundee as a centre-half. It was injuries that saw me change to full-back. I played well and then stayed there.

“I played plenty of times there in my first couple of seasons here.

“Full-back is a young man’s position so I would imagine the switch would prolong my career. Hopefully that will be the case.

“I still feel I’m fit enough to do it just now but whether I could for two or three years is a different matter.”

Saints are the first team to face Celtic post-Malmo and Mackay isn’t sure if the timing of their trip to Parkhead is advantageous or not.

“It could work to our advantage but it could have the opposite effect,” he said.

“Celtic will be fired up because Tuesday night would have been devastating.

“The league is their main priority now.

“Their club is desperate to get in the Champions League. These preliminary games are huge for them.

“It would have helped every Premiership club if they’d got to the group stages. I’m sure there are a few disappointed chairmen.

“Sometimes when a team is wounded it’s the worst time to play them. Hopefully it’s not. But we’ll be ready for them coming at us.”

Fisher can’t play this afternoon and Steven Anderson is still injured.