Callum Davidson ready to go AWOL if St Johnstone create history against Hibs in Scottish Cup final

Callum Davidson has teased that his partying will go on for the entire close season should his St Johnstone side see off Hibs in the Scottish Cup final on May 22.
St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson celebrates with  Callum Booth following the club's Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson celebrates with  Callum Booth following the club's Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)
St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson celebrates with Callum Booth following the club's Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The Perth club’s manager stands on the threshold of a storied success following his team’s 2-1 semi-final victory over St Johnstone. Davidson will become only the 14th man to lead a Scottish team to a cup double if his charges can see off the challenge from Leith.

It is an outcome that would make the McDiarmid Park club by far the most modest to win both knock-out tournaments over the same season in the 75-years span they have been contested...and the first by a team outside of Glasgow since Aberdeen in 1989-90. That turn of events would be cause for the celebrations to end all celebrations.

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“You won’t see me for six weeks if we do it!” he said, a first ever League Cup success for St Johnstone in February setting up the possibility of an extraordinary feat that he has refused to countenance. “Joking aside, I never look too far forward. Not this week...I think I’ve drunk about six bottles of wine. For a club like St Johnstone just to get to two cup finals is incredible. It hasn’t been done before. We’ll now try and prepare and get everybody right for the final. Up until now, I hadn’t even thought about what it would mean. Hibs are a fantastic side and it’s going to be very tough.”

Davidson believes that the Perth club overcame their biggest challenge of the season this week - a consequence of losing four of his squad to Covid-19 circumstances that forced him to shut-down the training ground for two days. Two players tested positive for the virus, with two other close contacts forced to isolate. “Without a doubt [it was biggest challenge],” he said. “All the clubs have had to deal with it at some point but it is very difficult. Nobody can prepare you for it. My players were magnificent. They showed their spirit again and just kept on going. Hopefully we get the all clear this week and we can crack on with a full squad.”

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