Liam Craig wants to go out on a high with St Johnstone

By KEN McNIVEN
Published on 20/01/2013 00:00

LIAM Craig says he is determined to bring the curtain down on his St Johnstone career in style after signing a pre-contract agreement to move to Hibs in the summer on a two-year deal.

The midfielder, who has made close to 200 appearances for the Perth club, feels he needs a new challenge. St Johnstone travel to Fir Park today for a league clash with Motherwell with Craig, pictured below, seeking the win that can hoist them up the league.

“I want to leave Saints on a high,” he said. “That would mean qualifying for Europe again. That was special for all of us, the players and fans. Or maybe we can make the [Scottish] Cup final, which has eluded us in recent years. That would be the ideal way to sign off. We have all been disappointed to miss out on that after reaching a few semi-finals. We have tried so hard and it would be great if this was the season we finally broke through that barrier.

“I certainly don’t want Perth fans to remember me for wasting my last few months here and forget the good times we have had over the past five years. I’ve had a lot of great times at Perth. I am 26 and, after five years here, I just feel the time is right for a change at this stage in my career.”

St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas believes his players will be refreshed and raring to get back into action this afternoon following a hectic period before the winter break. Saints played six games in 18 days ahead of the fortnight’s shutdown, which the Northern Irishman believes came at the right time for his squad. Ahead of the trip to Fir Park, Lomas said: “The players had played a lot of football before the break. With the extra game in the Scottish Cup, we played more football than any other team in the SPL.

“It was a tough period and, although we took four points from our last two games, there were signs of tiredness. So it was great to give the players four or five days off right away to freshen up. But we have been back training hard and are ready to go again.”

The Perth side sit in sixth spot in the SPL, four points behind third-placed Motherwell.