LIAM'S FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND

Liam Caddis has spoken of his surprise at the speed of events of the past couple of months but knows he still has a lot to learn.

The young Saints midfielder – who turns 17 in a fortnight – signed an extended contract yesterday to cap a busy couple of months but he has his feet planted firmly on the ground.

“It’s really good news and certainly not something I could have seen coming a few weeks ago. I’m just starting my second year as a full-timer and was concentrating on the Under 19 campaign but hoping I might be able to sample a little bit of first team football even if it was just on the bench as one of the under-age players. I didn’t expect to be involved so quickly.”

That involvement has taken the form of a couple of outings in early pre-season games and then he caught a lucky break when he was drafted into the squad at the expense of the injured Scott Dobie for the two-match trip to Northern Ireland. Further game time was achieved during the home friendlies as the pre-season plans reached their conclusion and then notably he made his SPL debut against Rangers at Ibrox, replacing the concussed Murray Davidson early in the encounter.

His mature performance in that game sealed the deal for a contract extension offer from Derek McInnes.

“It is a big step up for me and the hard work really begins now. I want make myself part of the manager’s plans and so I have to work hard and learn from the players around me. I still have my normal chores which include preparing breakfast for the first team squad and cleaning Steven Anderson and Andy Jackson’s boots so I’m not likely to get carried away!”

Derek McInnes says of the youngster, whose brother Paul recently moved from Celtic to Swindon Town: “Liam has shown confidence and capability in equal measure and he deserves this deal. He has a lot of hard work ahead of him but he is showing real signs of progress.”

Saints, who have Montrose left winger Aaron Sinclair training with them this week, have a bounce game today which will see Peter Enckelman given a run out in goal with a view to his inclusion in the team against Motherwell on Saturday.