St Johnstone midfielder Cammy Ballantyne on his shock selection and why you always need to be ready
dailyrecord.co.ukGrateful Cammy Ballantyne admits even he was shocked to get a start in Saturday’s crunch clash against Kilmarnock.But the hard-working midfielder was grinning from ear to ear at full-time after helping St Johnstone Football Club fend off relegation and bank a 15th consecutive top-flight campaign.Ballantyne’s inclusion at Rugby Park signalled a first ever league start in what was a bold ploy by interim boss Steven MacLean.The 23-year-old, who has had four loan spells at Montrose, was a contender for man of the match as Saints ran out 1-0 winners to secure safety.He laughed: “The boys were saying it takes a bit of bottle to come in at this stage!”Ballantyne returned from his latest Montrose loan in January and hadn’t featured until Saturday.“I wouldn’t say I was aware that I was creeping into Macca’s thoughts,” he explained.“But you always need to be ready.
Everyone always says that, but you do need to be ready.“You need to train hard and look after yourself properly. I’m glad I did that.“I didn’t know he was going to put me in on Saturday.“We had been doing shape all week so I had a little suspicion that I had a sniff.“He pulled me in on Friday and said I was playing from the start, which was a surprise.“It took a wee while for that to get into my system.
I’m delighted he trusts me.“When he spoke to me, I was nervous but I wasn’t scared. I was ready.“I knew I could come in and put in a good shift for the boys.“It was a big gamble for him and could have gone wrong.“It took people by surprise.
It took me by surprise. I didn’t know what to say when he told me.”Ballantyne now hopes for more minutes this season - starting with Ross County in Dingwall on Wednesday night.But he hopes dad Lewis can get time off work to make the
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