Sam Parkin was one of the few survivors of the cull of St Johnstone strikers at the end of last season, and now he wants to ensure this year’s crop of frontmen aren’t tarred with the same brush as the goal-shy class of 2010/11.
He is nearing the end of the comeback trail from a broken ankle that cut short his campaign in February, and is determined to do all he can to get the goals flowing in the new term.
Former Scotland Futures striker Parkin notched four SPL strikes before he picked up his season-ending training ground injury.
Parkin will be fighting for a place in the team with the likes of new recruits Sean Higgins and Carl Finnigan, with another signing still expected, and the 29-year-old is looking to make his mark and win over the doubters, building on valuable experience gained in his debut season in Scotland’s top flight.
The ex-Walsall and Chelsea man revealed that Perth manager Derek McInnes and assistant Tony Docherty have already assured him he’s at the heart of their plans.
He said, “They want me here and I want to be here. They brought me north a year ago and things started quite well.
“I was disappointed with my form over Christmas but the injury ended my hopes of finishing the season strongly.
“I feel more settled now and I am relishing the chance to prove myself in the SPL and show the fans what I can do.”Fightback to fitnessThere has been no let up for the single-minded Saint as he has fought his way back to fitness, and he even found time to work out in a gym during a New York break.
Now he’s back with the rest of the squad for a pre-season training camp at Largs and he’s impressed with the transfer business his manager has carried out.
He said, “We have lost some good lads and good players from the group but there looks to be real quality among the guys coming in.
“It’s good to have competition for places in any team. Carl Finnigan signed on Friday and Sean Higgins was already in. And the manager hasn’t finished his plans to strengthen the squad.
“I’m sure we have creat-ive players and guys capable of scoring the goals which were missing last season. That was something I had never experienced before and it must have been a one-off.
“I have to take my fair share of the blame. I didn’t score as many as I’d have liked. But this is a new season and a clean slate.
“I’m really pleased with the way the healing has progressed and so is the specialist. I had another meeting with him last week.
“It was a clean break and it has healed really well after the decision to have surgery. I am back running and should be back training with the lads fairly soon.Patience”I’m in Largs with the rest of the lads this week and hopefully I will be going to Ireland. I have been patient because I had a bad experience with a previous ankle injury 15 or 20 games into my career at Ipswich.
“Sometimes it is important to pull on the reins, especially during the off-season. You don’t want to risk secondary injuries.
“We have to make sure the body can cope with stepping it up. I have been doing a lot of strengthening work.
“The Ipswich injury was a bad one but this is the hardest one to take in my whole career. It was bitterly disappointing.
“The specialist isn’t sure quite why it happened but I had been having discomfort before the… problem.
“At first I thought one of the lads had whacked me but there was no one near me as I tried to change direction. They all heard a noise and from the dull pain I knew immediately something was broken.
“But that’s all behind me. We haven’t discussed Ireland yet but I’d like to be ready for the first game of the season at Aberdeen.
“That’s the plan right now. So the manager will be keen to see how I am progressing in some of the pre-season games.”