St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson admits he has banked enough memories this year to last a lifetime – but that will not stop him striving for more.
The 44-year-old is still buzzing on the afterglow of his side’s sensational Scottish Cup and Betfred Cup double.
But Davidson is now turning his attention to next season as he aims to back up this term’s surprise achievements.
“I’ll go back again and I’ll want to win the next game we play,” Davidson told Sky Sports News. “My focus is already shifting towards pre-season and the European ties.
“You just do the best you can do and hopefully you get seasons like this.
“If we don’t get another season like this, it will probably be my greatest memory.”
Davidson fears Saints will now face a battle to keep hold of the key men who have ensured the club joins an elite list of just four Scottish clubs to have won both domestic cup competitions in the same season.
A watertight three-man backline of Jason Kerr, Liam Gordon and Jamie McCart have played vital roles in the double run to Hampden.
Midfielder Ali McCann is also attracting attention having broken into the Northern Ireland squad while wing-back Shaun Rooney is now a Perth hero after scoring the winner in both finals.
Davidson remembers predecessor Tommy Wright having to stare down interest in the likes of Stevie May and Michael O’Halloran after the club won the Scottish Cup for the first time back in 2014.
And he is ready to do the same.
“That’s the biggest concern,” he confessed. “In the summer of 2014 we got quite a lot of interest in players and rightly so, they deserved it – all the praise, all the plaudits, all the interest.
“So probably the biggest challenge next season is getting a squad together again, we might lose a few. We’ll need to work really hard.
“Players like Glenn Middleton (on loan from Rangers) have really enjoyed coming in and being part of a success story. That shows the younger players, the ones who want to come and achieve and play games of football, this is a great place to play.”
Davidson made sure to drink in his team’s incredible achievement.
But it was not a hangover which has left him nursing a sore head after admitting his hilarious slide across the Hampden dressing room floor – which has now been viewed more than one million times on social media – did not go as planned, with the McDiarmid boss colliding head first with a closed door.
“I like to call it the champagne slide rather than the belly flop!” he joked. “I blame (coach) Steven MacLean, he egged me on to do it, although I didn’t take much persuasion.
“The only thing is, I thought the door at the end was going to open, so my head went smashing into it.
“It actually hurt, it really hurt but I had to get up and pretend I was alright. I’d have looked a bit of a fool if I’d have lay down on the floor for five minutes. It was just part of the enjoyment of it.”
