The head of St Johnstone’s youth academy, Alistair Stevenson, is hoping supporters will turn out in force to watch the next generation show off their talent this weekend.
Rising stars from the Perth club face off against Manchester United on Sunday at 11am for the latest instalment in a fixture that stretches back to 2015.
Entry for fans will be free of charge, although those in attendance will be able to donate money by bucket collection.
“Man United will come to the first team game against Motherwell on Saturday and I hope they get some entertainment,” smiled Stevenson yesterday.
“And then it will be an 11am kick-off on the Sunday. They have a big squad and want everyone to play.
“It will be four half hours, rather than two 45 minutes. That gives everyone a chance to play. They have 2005s coming up, which we call under-17s.
"But I’ll need to mix the ages and there will be under-17s, under-16s and under-15s involved. It’s about getting as many of them on the park to give them this experience.
“It will be the first time that they will have played on the pitch. That is great experience in itself.
“And even for a lot of the Manchester United players, it will be the first time they’ve played in front of a crowd.”
The first game seven years back ended 1-0 to the visitors with Angel Gomes - now of Lille - the scorer.
“The first year Manchester United asked if they could come up and we organised them to stay over,” Stevenson said.
“We got them the accommodation, pre-match meal and played the game on the stadium pitch.
“It was a great occasion and a good crowd. I remember Angel Gomes played for Man United in that game.
“He has, obviously, gone onto great things. It was such a success that they wanted to come back up to make this an annual fixture.
“And the second year we actually won 2-1 and there was again a really good crowd. The Main Stand was full.
“I brought little Jordan Northcott on for the last 15 minutes. I think he was only 13 and then he went and scored. It was really quite exciting.”
Stevenson had been keen to keep the link-up with the Reds going after missing out in recent years due to Covid-19.
“This is us now trying to resurrect it and Man United were very keen to come up,” he said. "They are coming up off their own back this time.
“It’s everything they look for. They wanted to access the big proper coach and get the kids on that, taking them for an overnight stay.
“They were looking for somewhere about five hours away so it would replicate a first team match. Perth was the one that was perfect for them. They get to play on a stadium pitch and in front of a crowd.
“I’ve been on the phone with them regularly and they are really looking forward to it.”
Before kick-off on Sunday, a festival of football will be taking place on the astroturf outside of the stadium.
“We’re having a little festival to try and attract a crowd,” Stevenson added.
“That will be for all the local teams where we’ll have fun fours and five-a-side, then hopefully the bulk of them come in with their parents to watch the game. The turnstile will be open and you can walk straight through without a charge.”
On display on the main pitch will be some of Saints’ under-16/17s who are showing real signs of promise this year.
Stevenson said: “The 16s/17s, are doing particularly well just now and have won their first three games in the CAS Cup.
“We have played three elite teams, beating Queen’s Park, Motherwell and last week Hibs 2-0. So three great results.
"We now need to play Alloa, Montrose and Queen of the South. If we get favourable results, we will have qualified for either the semi-final or final. That would be great.
“We have some really good players - local players - in there. That is the under 16/17s, born in 2006.
“Hopefully we get some players who show up well on Sunday too and can go onto greater things.”
A reminder that kick-off for the youth game versus Manchester United on Sunday at McDiarmid Park is 11am.
