Determined Daniel Phillips is ready to crack on and become a key component of St Johnstone’s push for success - starting with Aberdeen on Saturday.
The 21-year-old has earned more game-time in recent weeks and is hoping 2023 will be a year where he remains a regular in the middle of the park.
Phillips, a Trinidad and Tobago international, insists he has laser focus in helping Saints - who now sit seventh in the Scottish Premiership - reverse a run of three defeats.
He said: “I always want to be playing football. I have had to wait for it with injuries and good form from other players.
“But now I just want to get the head down and keep playing. I’m trying my best to do what I need to in my role, winning the ball back and doing my job on the pitch.
“I’m happy to play anywhere. I’ve played as a sitter before but also box-to-box. I just want to play.”
Even when Phillips was not in the team, he did not feel the need to kick up a fuss. It was all about hard work and waiting for his chance.
“I don’t think the manager has had to deal with me too much because I’m honest with myself,” he said.
“I know that you don’t change a winning team. I just had to go into training every week, show what I can do, keep my head up, keep pushing and knocking on the door. That has been my mindset.
“I like to do my talking on the training pitch and in games, even if it is a bounce match. I want to constantly give the manager a headache because of my actions on the pitch.”
Phillips, who signed in the summer, spent his youth career at English giants Chelsea and Watford. While it did not work out for him at both clubs, the experience made him stronger and fuelled passion to never give in.
“I was at Chelsea from a young age, probably under-10s. I got released at under-14s,” Phillips recalled.
“But I went straight to Watford and was there all the way through to the first team. I can’t really complain because it was one of the best upbringings.
“It was very competitive at Chelsea and I was disappointed to get released.
“But it is not the end of the world. You have just got to keep going. I always like to see things as positive and a blessing in disguise.
“I have managed to find myself on my feet at a great league in the Scottish Premiership. I’m here to crack on.”
When at Watford, Phillips looked up to striker Troy Deeney - now of Birmingham City.
“Troy was a very vocal person on and off the pitch,” Phillips revealed. “He was there for everyone.
“You need to take information and learn from players around you, whether in training or in games. That is something I try to do in this team too.”
There were lessons to be learnt from Monday’s 1-0 defeat to Dundee United and Phillips was honest in his assessment.
“It was a very disappointing game,” he said. “We never got going to our standards.
“That is what happens when you don’t play to your best. After the Hearts game, we wanted to start fast. But we didn’t again and need to rectify that moving forward, definitely.
“We know that we can get a good run going again and can turn it around in the next game. We need to set our standards high and maintain them every week.
“For me personally, I want to play every game. As a team, we want to win every game.”
On the trip to Pittodrie this weekend, he added: “We need to make sure we score first and not let their fans get behind them.”
