Alistair Stevenson shares his delight as St Johnstone academy stars prove their worth

dailyrecord.co.uk:

When Ben McCrystal became one of the youngest players to ever score a competitive goal for St Johnstone, a very proud man was looking down from the stand at the Indodrill Stadium.Alistair Stevenson, head of the club’s youth academy, admitted he couldn’t help but jump up in celebration when the 17-year-old added the fourth late on against Alloa.Midfielder McCrystal displayed determination and a clinical edge to clinch a memory that will last a lifetime.“Ben came to us after being at Celtic,” Stevenson explained. “He has never looked back.

He has been so settled since day one and so keen to do well. He has a good family pushing him all the way and he has got better and better.“For Ben to come on against Alloa and score was just brilliant.

I definitely jumped out of my seat, I have to say.”Stevenson added: “I was busy counting the number of players who have come through the academy.“Even the four who played up front towards the end of the game - Taylor Steven, Cammy Ballantyne, Ben and Jackson Mylchreest - all came through the academy.“And all of them were playing really well.

I’m thinking ‘that is not a bad return’. I must admit I was really, really pleased with that.“A lot of credit goes to the senior players because they are great with them.