From his very first tackle at Easter Road, Sven Sprangler felt the love of the St Johnstone fans.
Now, on his third trip to the home of Hibernian he would like nothing more than to deliver those supporters a win that would turbocharge Saints’ Premiership survival mission.
For Sprangler, even though he’s yet to pick up any points there, the Edinburgh ground will always hold special memories.
“My nerves were alright that day,” the Austrian recalled.
“To be honest, I was just excited to play and to prove that I was capable of playing in this league.
“Thankfully, I have shown that.
“I enjoyed it from the first minute to the last even though we got beaten.
“I can remember clearly that one of my first actions was a sliding tackle, and I won it.
“Our fans cheered it, which made me feel amazing.
“Straightaway, I loved the intensity of the football.
“It felt like home from day one.
“I knew this was the league and the club for me.
“Hopefully, the fans thought about me in a positive way straight away as well.
“Cheering for me at the start meant such a lot and it still does.”
Captain’s armband
Sprangler was made team captain by Simo Valakari when Nicky Clark dropped out of the side a couple of months ago, a decision that further cemented his bond with the club.
“It meant everything to me when that happened,” he said.
“I was a little bit surprised but very grateful.
“When a manager gives you the armband it’s a trust thing.
“That’s huge for me.
“It’s such a privilege. I don’t take it for granted.
“It was the first time I was given the armband in my professional career.
“I like the responsibility.
“I’m a vocal guy on the pitch. You have to be when you play in my position with everything happening around you.
“So, it isn’t new for me to get involved and be loud.
“I’m doing everything I can to help the team.
“When I was younger, I saw how the experienced players showed leadership in the dressing room and how they handled situations.
“That’s something I’ve been able to use.”
Last season’s ordeal
Around this time last year, Sprangler missed out on Saints’ triumph against Hibs under Craig Levein, with his season having been curtailed by a knee injury.
Watching a relegation battle from a distance was harder than being in the thick of one.
“I’d always rather be involved,” he said. “100%.
“Everyone knows that it’s terrible when you’re injured, and you can’t help the team.
“That was a tough time.
“I was doing me rehab in Austria, but I watched every game on my laptop with my girlfriend.
“She loves football, thankfully! She goes to our games home and away.
“Of course, I was screaming at the screen in support of my team-mates.
“One of those games was a win at Hibs.
“The guys got the job done and stayed up.
“I’m still positive that we will do the same this year.”
The fixtures are running out for Saints to get off the bottom of the league but the one game at a time mindset hasn’t changed.
“We all have one big goal,” said Sprangler, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Thursday. “And that is to stay up.
“The way to do that is to stay focused and do the right things in training and in matches.
“There’s no point thinking further ahead than Hibs.
“We won’t be looking ahead to Celtic or Dundee United.”
Conversation