Hardie delighted with his new two-year St Johnstone deal

Apr 22 2008

MIDFIELD powerhouse Martin Hardie is already looking to next season to wash away the disappointment of another cup semi-final exit.

Dogged by injury this season, he celebrated a two year deal with an stand-out display in the Perth engine room at Hampden.

Like Liam Craig, he shunned interest from the SPL to commit himself to Saints.

Yesterday, with the wounds still raw from the weekend, he insisted: “We must win the title next season and get this club to the SPL. It’s as simple as that.

“I was delighted to extend my contract. A couple of Premier League clubs had been showing an interest and a deal had been on the table from Saints. But I wanted to get back playing first and was reluctant to speak to anyone.”

Reflecting on the cup defeat from Rangers, Hardie said: “Everyone of our players should feel proud of the way they played for themselves.

“We restricted Rangers to playing a lot of long balls and I couldn’t see them scoring. But just like last year in the semi final against Celtic they got a dodgy penalty.

“Rangers couldn’t score against us in open play. Their finishing wasn’t up to the standard you would expect of a big club chasing four trophies. Kevin Rutkiewicz and Allan McManus totally dominated them. Cousin is supposed to be heading for the Premiership in England but they never gave him a sniff.

“The boys here have proved they can play at a higher level. Now we have to recharge the batteries over the summer and come back ready to hit the ground running. We must win that title. We have to go out and grab it.”