Braveheart spirit alert

Sep 12 2008 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

Braveheart spirit alert

PLAYER of the month Chris Millar reckons Saints can match the Braveheart spirit shown by under-fire Scotland.

The Perth midfielder has been a hit since his summer switch from Morton but admits it’s time to apply the brakes to a four game losing run.

The Scots and manager George Burley were slaughtered by a hysterical media after crashing in Macedonia. But they regrouped to dig out an impressive result in Iceland.

Millar, who’s desperate to turn the blue tide at club level with a win tomorrow against Ross County in Dingwall, said: “It’s a cliche but a week is a long-time in football, as Scotland have shown. If we can get a win in Dingwall it’s all-change and that could kick-start the season.

“We definitely feel we owe the manager a result. He brought me and other guys here and kept the players he wanted. So far we’ve let down him and the supporters so we’ll be doing our best to get a win against Ross County.”

Millar continued: “It’s nice to get a player of the month award but I believe there’s more to come from me and the team.

“We have Ross County and Queen of the South away and then Dundee at home. Those are three tough games but they could turn around the season. We could be right back in the mix.

“We know what to expect from Ross County because they beat us in the Challenge Cup. It’s not about revenge. It’s about getting a win to boost our confidence. That is so important.”

Derek McInnes had hoped the international break would buy time to restore Jody Morris and Kevin James to match fitness. While the centre-half is now a week away from playing, midfielder Morris suffered a setback and is out for more weeks.

McInnes said: “Jody felt his hamstring in the game with Hearts and had to come off. He went for another scan and it turned out there was still a tear. He will see a specialist in the next few days to see if any light can be shed on it.

“On the plus side Kevin James is almost there. He has had bruising on the bone and that can be painful.”

Kevin Rutkiewicz posted a sound display and Gavin Swankie scored a fine goal in a 1-1 draw against Hearts. Nick McKoy, Alan Morgan and Kevin Moon also got game time against a strong capital team.

It’s a challenging time for the rookie manager and he admitted: “As a manager you are always getting tested and you test yourself. Fortunately we were winning plenty of games last season and everything was ticking over nicely.”

McInnes said Millar had produced the effort, commitment and energy he expected but there was more creativity and goals to come from his prized recruit.

“There are a few players here who will flourish when we get a few wins under our belt. But Chris has shown the determination and hunger I expected.”