Callum Davidson would have loved to see Zander Clark earn his first cap for Scotland while a St Johnstone player.
And it would have been merited on the back of consistent excellence for two years under the McDiarmid Park boss.
But even though the double-winning goalkeeper is now at Hearts, there would still be Perth pride if Clark gets selected by national coach Steve Clarke to play in the forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers.
“100%,” said Davidson. “Zander was here for years.
“I think I nearly played with Zander, it was that long.
“You want guys like him to do really well. He’s a really nice guy, works extremely hard and fitted into everything you wanted to do.
“If he does play for Scotland it will be a proud moment for everyone involved with the club.
“He still chats away to a lot of the boys here. It’s always nice to see him again.
“Although when he pulls off great saves like the one to deny Drey (Wright) it’s not so nice!”
Rising to the occasion
Clark is battling with Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly to be picked for the Euro double-header at Hampden.
It’s a pitch Clark performed superbly on for two semi-finals and two finals during Saints’ cup double season.
And now it's Zander Clark who makes a top class save! 🔥
St Johnstone's quarter final hero denies what looked like an almost certain St Mirren opener 👏#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/nNMJbMi1sJ
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) May 9, 2021
“I’ve always said it – his performance levels in the big games were incredible when he was at St Johnstone,” said Davidson.
“I thought he played really well when he wasn’t getting into squads.
“It’s something he probably thought, in June or July last year (when Clark was without a club), was a long way away.
“All credit to Zander for keeping the faith and believing in himself that he’s capable of doing the job.
“Unfortunately, Craig (Gordon) got injured but Zander was ready to step in and play at Hearts.
“Now he’s got the rewards with a call-up and the next stage would be to get minutes on the pitch for Scotland.”
Loans changed his career
Persistence and good loans were subsequently the key to transforming his career, according to Davidson.
“If you don’t stick at it you don’t succeed,” he said.
“Zander went on loan to a couple of clubs.
“He went to Queen of the South where he elevated his game and started to perform at a really good level.
“Then he came back and you saw a different goalie. It’s such a big thing at St Johnstone to go on loan and play well.
“The majority who have done that have gone on to play for St Johnstone and a few have moved on to bigger things too.”
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