MAIN LIKELY TO MISS SEASON START

20 JUNE 2008

Goalkeeper Alan Main faces missing the start of the season due to a shoulder injury.

The shock news comes just a week before the full squad report back for pre-season training and means that recent signing from Dundee United Euan McLean looks set to be between the sticks for the warm up games and probably the opening weeks of the campaign.

Experienced campaigner Main was troubled with his shoulder towards the end of last season and relied on pain killing injections to see him through. It was believed that rest was the best cure but a visit to a specialist last Friday brought the news that surgery was necessary and the required operation took place immediately.

Speaking to the Saints Official Website this morning Alan said “I was troubled with my shoulder towards the end of last season and I still don’t know what caused it. There was no specific knock or noticeable collision, I just started to get a wee nipping feeling in the shoulder which we thought would be cleared up with a couple of injections.

“I went down to the specialist last week just for him to have a look at it and having examined it he then announced that I needed an operation and what’s more the operation would take place there and then! It came as a bit of a shock – I hadn’t planned on having the night in hospital - but it was better to get it done immediately so that I have the most time possible to get fit again.”

Alan, who missed just one league game last season in his first season back with the club, is understandably disappointed but remains philosophical.

“I didn’t want this to happen and it is not the start to the new season I wanted but it is clear that another injection would have just masked the problem. This way, the op is done and I have set my self targets for getting back as early as possible into the campaign. It is important to me that I play a part in anything that can be achieved this season.”

The players return to the club next week with the new youth signings starting on Monday to be followed by the full squad next Thursday.

The key element of the pre-season programme will be a week-long training camp in Wolverhampton where the squad will make use of West Bromwich Albion’s training facilities as well as those at Wolverhampton University.

Manager Derek McInnes has tapped into his contacts at his former club at The Hawthorns to secure the facilities and he has stressed to the players that it will be a week of hard work and dedication.

Derek, who is specifically taking a fresh approach to pre-season training to ensure that the team start the campaign well, says, “It will be an ideal chance for the new players to become part of the squad. We won’t play any games down there – it will be all about hard work on fitness and on the training ground. I think the players will benefit from that and it will also mean that they won’t have to be travelling every day from their homes to McDiarmid Park. I’ll be looking to vary the training routine and indeed where the training takes place a lot this season as it is important that the players don’t get stale.”

The public pre-season matches are:

Saturday 12th July v Montrose (away) 3pm
Saturday 19th July v Inverness CT (away) 3pm
Wednesday 23rd July v Burnley (home) 7.30pm

Matches against Ayr United, Hibs and East Stirling are closed-door.

******
The new St Johnstone FC website will be launched on 1st July and within a ‘Fans’ section we would like to include photos of Saints supporters on their travels over the years either within the UK or during our two UEFA Cup tournaments.

Please contact Paul Smith on 01738 459099 or e-mail your photo to paul@perthsaints.co.uk