Seeing his son sign (and score) for St Johnstone has brought happy memories flooding back for Sandy Clark.
Clark was the Saints manager who took the Perth club into European football for the first time since the great Willie Ormond side were beating the likes of Hamburg in the Uefa Cup.
And a young Nicky was part of the McDiarmid Park dressing room celebrations after Paul Kane’s header secured a 1-0 victory over Dundee in 1999 to put the McDiarmid Park team back in the same competition.
The recruit from Dundee United, who found the net on his debut against St Mirren last weekend, was bitten by the St Johnstone bug long before he signed.
23 years apart, his new chapter begins. #ClarkAnnounced | #SJFC pic.twitter.com/ozANYFTZjy
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) August 31, 2022
“Nicky was there every week with his older brother and his mum,” said Sandy, who replaced Paul Sturrock and also took Saints to a League Cup final.
“It’s 23 years ago now and time passes so quick but they are great memories. He was only a boy and was going where his mum and dad told him to go!
“But at the end of the day both my boys loved being there and enjoyed being supportive of me.
“Nicky has been right into his football since he was a kid.
“He has always had that desire and love for the game. He wanted so much to be a footballer.
“Seasons and days like that one in 1999 can motivate you for possibly your whole career. You can’t buy the feeling and the emotion.
“Nicky, like every other St Johnstone fan at the time, thoroughly enjoyed it. We have so many pictures from back then.
“He really enjoyed his time going to McDiarmid Park. He so looked forward to it.
“Nicky would have been at every home game, don’t worry about that. Maybe not the away European ones. I think he was a bit young for that!”
Dad’s recommendation
Sandy was sacked in 2001, with the ’99 team breaking up and the slide towards relegation from the top flight having started.
But he harbours no bitterness and is likely to become a McDiarmid regular again over the next few months.
“I told Nicky it is a really good club with solid people who own it and run it,” he said.
“As soon as someone shows an interest and shows they really want you, then it was easy for Nicky. He completely made his mind up.
“I know a big plus for him was Callum Davidson. I have a lot of time for Callum, Steven MacLean and Alex Cleland. I know them all from the coaching world and they are all talented coaches.
“Obviously there was a wee bit of a hiccup last year but I’m sure everyone at the club has learned from it.”
‘In his stride’
Clark, whose last job in football was as assistant manager at Queen of the South, added: “I’m really looking forward to watching Nicky play for St Johnstone.
“Nicky is an intelligent footballer and is a completely different type of footballer to me when I played. The game has obviously evolved a lot since then.
“The top end of the pitch is where he does well, whether creating space for others, assists for goals and he has always managed to get a few goals.
“His record is good when you look at it and that is why St Johnstone have pushed the boat out a little bit to get him.
Morning @nickyclark91 🤩 pic.twitter.com/WpIwELO6NO
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) September 4, 2022
“He will take everything in his stride. He knows fine well it’s now about what happens on the pitch.
“It can take time for players to gel and become a team.
“If I’m not involved in a game, I’ll go to Nicky’s games. While I’m still looking, my preferred option is going to be to watch St Johnstone.
“The memories are there for him, but the priority is to kick on and do well for the team.”
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