Long wait for Peter MacDonald

May 5 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

HE’S been forced into the shadows this season by injury woes but Peter MacDonald was ecstatic when Saints wrapped-up the title.

The one-time Rangers player lured from Perth by Sandy Clark is one of just two survivors from St Johnstone’s eviction from the SPL seven years ago. But keeper Alan Main had his service interrupted by spells with Livingston and Gretna.

Sidelined by a hamstring strain, MacDonald managed just three starts and appearances from the bench this term.

“Winning promotion has been a long time coming but to be fair we’ve not been that fair away from it most years. Apart from one season when we came third bottom, we’ve been up there second or third.

“But first place is the prize you want. And to have finally got it is fantastic.’’

While MacDonald acknowledged the foundations crafted by Owen Coyle he stressed the credit for taking Saints up belongs to Derek McInnes and Tony Docherty.

“The gaffer has been brilliant. A lot people say he inherited a team from Owen Coyle but that’s nonsense. He and Tony Doc have brought in a lot of their own players and it’s a different style of football they’ve got us playing. So the pair of them deserve a lot of praise for what they’ve achieved.