Full Moon rising at McDiarmid Park

May 5 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

KEVIN Moon wasn’t allowed to venture to Monaco 10 years ago because his folks felt he was too young.

But the local hero and one-time Saints season ticket holder recalls away days at SPL grounds up and down the country.

Now the softly spoken midfielder promises to be an important part of plans being forged by manager and mentor Derek McInnes for an assault

on the Premier League.

Proud parents Colin and Gillian and a posse of pals and relatives settled down in the main stand to soak-up the First Division title

celebrations, with their boy strutting his stuff in centre-stage.

Yesterday, Moon told PA Sport: “It’s a dream come true for me. Everyone I know seemed to be at McDiarmid at the weekend.

“I was at the game when we beat East Fife and received the championship 12 years ago so this has still to soak in.

“Back then I wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me I’d be part of a title winning St Johnstone team.

“George O’Boyle was my favourite player. Maybe I shouldn’t mention Alan Main because he’s still here!

“I had a season ticket for a few years before coming onto the books here. I went to a lot of away games but my folks said I was too young for Monte Carlo. I had to make do with the home game against Monaco.”

McInnes spotted Moon’s potential before he stepped up to the manager’s office and in January offered the youngster a two-year contract.

But Moon, who has been at the club for five years, recalled: “If things had worked out differently I could have been away to Forfar after being out on loan.

“You just never know what’s around the corner. I’ll savour this.

But I owe so much to Derek McInnes. The gaffer has been brilliant to me, even as a player.

“He has helped me so much. He’s always trying to improve me. The gaffer has so much respect in the dressing room and he had that right from the start.

“Maybe if Jody Morris hadn’t been injured it might have been different. I’ve had a lot of problems myself this season but hopefully those are behind me. I was just so happy to play regularly in the run-in and my confidence grew week by week.

“Maybe we did it the hard way and at times I wondered if it would be our day. But with the strikers we have here we knew we’d get goals.

The gaffer really had us up for it.”

Now Moon, 22 next month, is determined to make an impact on the bigger stages next season.

He said: “Let’s enjoy this and I’ll go away and come back stronger for next season. We want to do ourselves justice at places like Ibrox and Parkhead.”