His St Johnstone players earned their Monday morning sore heads through a weekend of good old fashioned hard celebrating.
But long before that point Callum Davidson had beaten them to it in a far less traditional way.
The famous Champagne belly slide on the Hampden Park dressing room floor was a perfect snapshot of the team spirit that propelled Saints to a Betfred Cup and League Cup double, and has raised the Perth boss’s social media profile.
But it came at a cost.
Our gaffer.. 💙 pic.twitter.com/HWeftdpvEL
— Stevie may (@Stevie__may) May 22, 2021
“I smacked my head and it’s in absolute agony!” said Davidson. “I’m not going to lie, it was really sore.
“I’m not sure how I got my top off. It took me about five minutes.
“I’m very much a ‘what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room’ type. I didn’t realise Stevie May put me on social media.
“My daughter kept telling me that I had over one million views. I’m not sure if that is a good or a bad thing!
“I’m quite a reserved person but I just thought the floor looked quite appetising – apart from the door at the end.
“I was just over the moon, absolutely delighted and wanted to join in with the lads.
“A few of them did it before and after me. I was just part of the cycle. Sometimes you need to show your emotions.”
The magnitude of what Saints achieved on Saturday, and over the course of the season, is beginning to sink in.
Is this okay? https://t.co/i9x5chRYna pic.twitter.com/uPXtbxdkfZ
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) May 23, 2021
“I was in the stadium today sitting next to both trophies,” said Davidson. “You realise how great an achievement it is.
“That is four games we’ve played at Hampden this season and we’ve turned up every time. It really has been fantastic.
“The team spirit is part of the success. We have a great bond. It’s a small squad – the smallest squad in the league.
“To do the cup double with the smallest squad in the league is a phenomenal achievement.
“It’s all credit to the players looking after themselves, the sport scientist, the medical staff and the backroom staff.
“Sometimes football players don’t get enough credit. You see what it means to them. The group of players I have want to do well for themselves, their family and for the club.”
Davidson reiterated his post-match point that keeping summer departures down to a minimum will be a close-season priority.
“We need to be careful with what we do,” he said. “I have a lot of them signed up and hopefully I can get one or two more done.
“I want to keep the spirit in the team there. It’s massive for us. If you take too many players out, it becomes very hard to replace.
“I need to work hard with the chairman to find out what is best for the football team and the individuals.
“We’ve competed in two major finals and are obviously in Europe.
“Sometimes you go to England – I have experienced it myself – and you are basically just competing in the league.
“I played 13 or 14 years in England which was brilliant. But I never won a major trophy.
“These are memories that live with you for a long time. There are different things to weigh up but all credit to the players.”
