He grew up within striking distance of McDiarmid Park.
And synonymous with so many local kids, some of his earliest memories in football involved learning the game at Saturday morning community coaching on the astroturf opposite the stadium.
At that very same venue the other week, Scott Bright, now 16 years of age, proudly captained St Johnstone’s promising under-18 team into the semi-final of the Scottish Youth Cup.
A 2-1 comeback triumph against Dundee United - the stoppage time winner came from the boot of 14-year-old Brodie Dair - was the latest success story of an exciting group whose reputation is only heading in the right direction.
“Brodie is someone who definitely has quality,” left-sided full-back Bright said with a smile. “And age is not a restriction for him.
“The winner was from a corner and I was actually back down the park. But it was the quickest I had moved all game for the celebrations. Cup games are obviously special for this club, considering what happened a couple of years ago.”
Bright, a former Viewlands Primary and Perth Academy student, has already been with Saints for the best part of seven years after making the switch from local youth club Pitfour.
With bags of youthful energy on his side, he remembers playing for both teams to begin with!
“Pitfour was on a Sunday and Saints was Saturday,” he recalled. “I would only have been about nine at that point.
“A wee bit after that I was purely at Saints and have been with them for seven years now. As each year goes on you see differences and the challenges you face become harder and harder.
“That is natural because the standard gets better but I feel I have managed to keep progressing.”
That progression has led him to his current role of U18s captain and, in the summer of last year, he was promoted to a full time apprentice contract alongside Joe Ellison, Bayley Klimeonek, Ben McCrystal, Adam McMillan, Kodi McKinstray and Jackson Mylchreest. It meant making the step to train with Callum Davidson’s first team.
“It is nice that people have confidence and belief in me,” said Bright, who often gives up a couple of nights a week to coach youngsters with Saints in the Community.
“That initial training session with the first team was a bit surreal. I’m jogging around looking at players who I watched when I was going to games. So it is surreal.
“People always say first opinions matter. You want that first touch and first pass to be good and that calms you down. Then you can play with more freedom. Play your football without any nerves or worry.
“Once you get into it a bit more, passing the ball about, some possession games, it doesn’t become as daunting.
“Liam Gordon would speak to me. He would always come over at the start. He has been through a similar thing being a local guy himself and he takes care of the younger lads.
“The house I lived in when I was first born was the other side of the crematorium. Pretty much a stone throw away.
“Now I’m up at Broxden, still five minutes in the car down the road. It is a good thing because being local I hear a lot about Saints and speak to people about it. Liam’s footsteps are ones to follow. He has done what I am now trying to do.
“I think I’m quite a talker on the pitch too and I do like to get forward, of course. And getting that final ball into the box.
“None of that happens without the rest of the team though. I’m the captain of the U18s but it is not just me who leads the team. Not at all.”
Bright is already counting down to the moment he leads the U18s out the tunnel and onto the main pitch at McDiarmid Park next month. Celtic provide the opposition for the last four of the Scottish Youth Cup.
The fixture will take place on Friday, March 3 with a 7pm kick-off and Bright - and the club - hope supporters can turn out in force.
“We need to take this next game like we’ve taken every other one,” he said. “We know we will be up against an elite team. But that doesn’t matter.
“It is whoever is better on the day. I don’t feel there is any reason for us to be scared for the next round.”
The occasion will again turn the spotlight in their direction and Bright is determined for it to be another stepping stone towards one day walking out with the first team.
“That is the goal,” Bright insisted. “That is the reason we have all been signed. They want to develop us so we can play for the first team.
“I hope that is sooner rather than later but it is about developing and working hard to become part of that squad.
“At the minute I just need to keep improving to get to the stage where I get a chance. And then kick on from there.”
