Danny Swanson wants to be known as a goal scorer as well as a goal maker, and the St Johnstone midfielder is on the right track to succeeding in his aim.
The former Dundee United man already has three goals to his name in the Betfred Cup, so a target of 10 for the season certainly appears attainable.
Swanson, who will be looking to add to his tally in the last group match against Stirling Albion this afternoon, said: “A couple of penalties have helped but goals are definitely something I want to add to my game.
“I’d like to get to 10.
“There was another chance for me on Tuesday night against Brechin. It’s a case of getting in the right positions and I’m confident enough that if I do that, I’ll score.
“I’ve always been more about assisting players but this year I need to be more selfish.”
Swanson has long been eyeing up the penalty-taker role in the team and two out of two last weekend has got him the job for the foreseeable future.
“I’ve been dying to take one,” he admitted.
“I didn’t take any at Dundee United but I took a few at Peterborough – even though the last one I missed was in the Johnstone’s Paint semi-final shoot-out.
“It’s a chance to get a goal and I’m confident of scoring.
“I’d never argue on the pitch because if somebody’s confident then that’s fair enough. The gaffer has said that I’m on them now.”
Swanson added: “We’d missed that many before.
“Liam’s missed, Macca’s missed, Dave Mackay’s missed.
“I tried to get the ball twice for a penalty– once up in Inverness and once against Dundee United. I’ve had to be patient.”
Swanson became a dad for the second time on Monday.
A couple of days earlier, the ex-Hearts playmaker enjoyed a nice family moment on the pitch at McDiarmid with older son Roman after his man-of-the-match Falkirk performance, which was captured by the BT Sport cameras.
“He’s not been to many games and he was right at the front of the main stand so it was nice to see him at the end of the match,” Swanson said.
“The gaffer was giving me a bit of stick about it.
“Roman’s beginning to know what’s going on. He was shouting ‘goal’.
“I tried to get him on the pitch for a wee game of football but I had to do something for BT. It was short and sweet but I really enjoyed it.”
Saints had hoped to clinch their place in the last 16 with a win at Brechin but the draw (and defeat in the penalty shoot-out) means another point is required against Stirling today. A win would give them a chance of being one of the top four first-placed teams and earn a seeding for tomorrow’s second round draw.
“We wanted three points on Tuesday,” he said.
“Stirling will probably set up similarly to Brechin but we’re back on a bigger pitch. Brechin’s is very small.
“It was tough for the boys. I noticed when I came on that there wasn’t much space to go anywhere really.
“Hopefully we’ll be better on Saturday and get the win.
“It’s tough for the top teams so early in the season but it’s massive for us to get through to the next round and then hopefully get a good draw.”
The Saints squad is unlikely to change from midweek.
