St Johnstone goalkeeper Becky Cameron admits she has watched the replay of her crucial Scottish Cup penalty save multiple times – but was just relieved after giving it away!
The Perth shot-stopper fantastically kept out Dryburgh Athletic’s second-half effort from 12 yards when the score was locked at 0-0 at Station Park in Forfar.
With the fourth-round encounter hanging in the balance, Saints moved on to win the match 2-0 and that set up a visit to Kilmarnock in the next stage of the competition.
Cameron, reflecting back, laughed: “For a start it was a relief as I gave away the penalty at 0-0!
“I feel like, if they had scored, the game could have gone the other way. Dryburgh then would have had the momentum.
“So I was pleased that when I was called upon I could step up for the team and do my job. It was a great feeling.
“I won’t lie, I have watched it quite a few times.”
Goals from Fern Newbigging and Steffi Simson managed to get the job done against a hard-working opponent.
“I feel like, after the penalty, the team were great and reacted well,” Cameron continued.
“We knew that we needed to up the performance if we wanted to win the game.
“Even going into the game we knew it was going to be tough.
“I personally know a lot of the Dryburgh girls having grown up playing with them and know how talented they are.
“Dryburgh were very organised defensively and made it difficult for us.
“However, as a team, we were composed and didn’t get frustrated when we hadn’t managed to find the back of the net earlier in the match.
“Both teams had chances throughout the game to score but credit to Fern and Steffi for two great strikes to take us into the next round of the Scottish Cup.
“It is always great to get a win, especially with a clean sheet and an overall good team performance.”
Saints turn their attention back to the SWPL2 on Sunday and, ironically, travel to their upcoming Scottish Cup opponents Kilmarnock.
Cameron told the PA: “I think it is extremely important to take the positivity and momentum from the win into this weekend’s game and the next round of the cup, as both are against Kilmarnock.
“Kilmarnock are a team we know well and have had many close battles with over the last few years. We are expecting a tough game as they are a good side.
“However, the girls are very up for it and we are all looking forward to our first league game of 2023.”
