St Johnstone's Jody fosters SPL ambition

May 13 2008 by Gordon Bannerman

IT’S a signing which stirs memories of the arrival of Sergei Baltacha and Alan Kernaghan at McDiarmid Park.

Yesterday, midfielder Jody Morris pledged his future to St Johnstone for the next two years.

He made an immediate impact last term after being lured north by friend and former Millwall colleague Derek McInnes and now the 29-year-old one-time Chelsea player has agreed to relocate his wife and two children to pursue his career north of the border.

Assistant manager Tony Docherty declared it a “major coup” for the ambitious Perth club, with Saints fending off SPL rivals to secure a footballer with vast Premiership and European experience.

Docherty revealed that manager McInnes was so excited by the prospect of getting Morris fixed-up he was pacing his Florida holiday villa at 5am, anxiously awaiting confirmation that the paperwork had been completed.

“This is a massive signing for St Johnstone,” declared Docherty, who confirmed further recruits are in the pipeline.

“It signals a big step forward and the credit goes to the manager.

“Derek knew Jody from their time at Millwall and a lot of this is down to their friendship.

“He was a revelation last season and we’re looking forward to having him here for the next two years and to help our promotion bid.

“With a young family to think about, it’s clearly not a decision Jody has taken lightly and moving his wife and children from London demonstrates his commitment.

“Jody is a fantastic footballer, in the real top bracket. It might seem strange given his experience with Chelsea at the very top level but we believe his best days are still ahead of him.

“We are very fortunate to have him here.

“Jody has impressed us on and of the field. He has fine leadership qualities and he will have a great influence on our younger players.

“Clearly he has been impressed with the direction the club is going in and wants to be part of it.

“This is a real coup for the club. It’s a massive signing. We have a jigsaw and we are trying to fill in several pieces.

“No wonder the gaffer was overjoyed to hear the deal had been done.”

Morris admitted a long-term stay wasn’t in his mind when he took up the offer of a short-term deal at McDiarmid. But after a troubled two years with injuries in England the diminutive midfield dynamo admitted he relished the game time and stage provided by the Perth club.

And after missing a spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out with Rangers, he’s hoping to make amends by steering Saints to the SPL next term.

“Everything has felt right since I came here. Derek was a good friend and working for him and Doc has been great.

“There is a great bunch of lads here and everyone has made me feel very welcome.

“The supporters have also been fantastic to me.

“Hopefully I can make up for that penalty miss against Rangers at Hampden. That memory will never leave me. I felt I let people down. But promotion would go some way to making amends.

“There were other offers and some interest which wasn’t concrete. But this just feels right to me.

“I want to repay Derek and the club, and the fans who have been fantastic since I arrived.

“It was gut-wrenching to lose the semi-final and especially to miss a penalty. I was struggling from the 75th minute but Goran Stanic was also injured so I had to soldier on.

“I felt I had to put my hand up for a penalty despite the calf injury. I knew I wasn’t going to sprint up to it. I had been hobbling around. But I didn’t want to shirk my responsibilities.”

Morris revealed his mind was made up to stay before the curtain came down on last season

“I’ve never lost my appetite for the game despite some low points in the last two years. But I have enjoyed a fresh start in Scotland and it’s been good to have some nice things said about me in the press.

“I’ve had a clean slate and now I want to kick on. This is the perfect place to do it. And it is the right move for my wife and family.

“Initially I was here short-term but there is a real sense of ambition at the club and the board are backing the manager.

“There’s a lot more to come from me after I get a pre-season under my belt. I can’t wait for the new season.”