Cillian Sheridan is looking forward to renewing some old friendships and pulling on the blue and white of St Johnstone once again when he represents the club at the Tennent’s Sixes at Braehead Arena next month.
The former Saints striker enjoyed two spells in Perth during the early stages of his career, initially joining on loan from Celtic in 2010 before returning for another loan spell from CSKA Sofia during the 2011/12 season. Across those two spells, Cillian made 50 appearances for the club, scoring 11 goals.
It was a period of his career that left a lasting impression, both on and off the pitch, and he admits he still has a strong affection for the club and the supporters.
“I absolutely loved my time at St Johnstone. I have great memories,” Cillian said. “I was involved with really good squads during my time there.
“I always had good teammates at St Johnstone and that is one of the good things about the Tennent’s Sixes. It will be nice to meet up with a few of the guys again.
“I look forward to getting back into a St Johnstone jersey because I really loved my time in Perth. I felt like I played well during my time at the club.
“I always felt comfortable and that allowed me to enjoy my football.”
That affection for the club continued long after he left Perth.
Cillian lived in the city until last year and says his relationship with the Saints support has remained strong, with one particular goal against Rangers still regularly mentioned whenever he meets a St Johnstone fan.
“I lived in Perth for a few years up until last year actually and I would always bump into supporters of the club,” he explained. “I have always had a good relationship with them too.
“Having lived in Perth the last few years, the fans would always talk about that goal against Rangers.
“I don’t tire talking about it, to be honest!
“That goal is definitely one of my favourite memories during my time at the club.
“My only problem for the Sixes is that the goals might be a little bit smaller for me to replicate it. But, I’ll do my best.”
Cillian will now have the opportunity to create some more memories with the club when he joins a host of familiar faces at the Braehead Arena.
The Tennent’s Sixes tournament will bring together former players from across Scottish football for a unique six-a-side competition over the weekend of October 3 and 4.
“As soon as I got the shout to play for St Johnstone I was delighted to be able to say yes,” Cillian continued. “I could play for a few teams at the tournament!
“I am looking forward to seeing all the guys and I know they are all looking forward to the weekend too.
“Jody Morris especially, coming up from London, he is very excited. It shows how much the club means to him too.
“It is a group of guys who I know well and we always have a good time when we are in each other’s company.
“How well we all got along was one of our strengths at the time when we were all playing. It was a strong dressing room.”
Despite now being out of the professional game, Cillian has been making sure he is ready for a return to competitive action.
“I have been working on my Sixes fitness,” he joked. “I haven’t been out running but I have been playing a bit.
“I will maybe need to pick up the training a little bit and do a bit more cardio ahead of the tournament getting underway.
“There is a bit more pressure on the recently retired guys to be extra fit so I might need to pull the finger out in that regard!”
Cillian is also hoping the St Johnstone support will make the short trip to Glasgow and give the former Saints stars plenty of backing from the stands.
“The more support we can get the better we’ll perform, that’s for sure,” he said.
“It will be nice to see St Johnstone well represented down in Glasgow. We don’t want the arena full of the Glasgow teams.
“It is a chance for us to flex our support so I’m looking forward to seeing the fans over the weekend.”
You can join the Saints at the Braehead Arena via the ticket link HERE.
