Auction response delights Liam

Saints midfielder Liam Craig is over the moon with the response to last week's charity auction.

During what are undoubtedly difficult times for all, the club legend decided to put up for auction one of his prized jerseys from the successful 2015/16 season in order to raise money for charity.

The two chosen causes were Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) - the Club's official charity partner - and the Perth & Kinross Foodbank.

The winning bid in the auction was a fantastic £575 which came from a Saints Season Ticket holder who wishes to remain anonymous.

Upon hearing that his bid had been successful, the supporter said: "As a Season Ticket holder in Perth who doesn't get to many games, I was very happy to get involved in a cause supported by the Club while getting what will be a very treasured piece of memorabillia.

"I've taken great enjoyment from watching Saints over the years and I remember that season very well!"

Liam and the Club both pledged to donate £200 to the charities alongside the auction money, with Liam adding an extra £25 to the pot to round the total sum up to £1,000.

Speaking to the Club's official website, a delighted Liam said: "The response to this has just been incredible. I want to say a massive thank you to the winning bidder and to all those who shared or made a bid for the jersey themselves.

"The idea was that if I donated £200 and the Club matched it, we might get £100 for the jersey and be able to split £500 between the charities.

"Then the bids kept on coming in and I was taken aback. To get £575 for the top was unbelievable and we've raised double what I'd expected.

"It's two very worthy causes that will be benefitting from this. CHAS is the Club's official charity partner so they were an obvious choice, and then the Perth & Kinross Foodbank was the other one that we wanted to help out.

"Both charities will be under a lot of pressure given the current circumstances so I'm delighted that this auction has been able to help.

"I wanted to give something back to the local community who have all been amazing with not just me, but my family as well, since I arrived at the Club."

Liam was speaking to the official website from home where, like everybody else, he has been following government guidelines not to go out unless shopping for essentials, undertaking solo exercise, or for medical needs.

And he is finding ways to keep himself busy whilst also looking out for his teammates during these difficult times.

"It's important that we all look out for each other," he said, "because all of us have different circumstances.

"I've got a family at home who can keep me company and that's keeping me occupied at the moment but there are some boys who are in their houses or flats alone.

"We've got a great dressing room spirit at the Club and we're all in constant communication with each other on WhatsApp and social media.

"We're all keeping ourselves ticking over so that we're ready to get going again when we are given the go ahead. The boys have been in touch with Bod (Fitness Coach, Alex Headrick) on a daily basis providing updates on how we're getting on with our programmes."

As well as spending time with the family and keeping himself fit, Liam along with his teammates and the Manager, has been getting in touch with some of our elderly Season Ticket holders.

And it's something that he's really enjoying during a time when many of the most vulnerable are left isolated from their loved ones.

"The phone calls have been brilliant," he said, "and the boys are really enjoying speaking to the Season Ticket holders. We’ve started with elderly fans to begin with but the aim is to try get round as many supporters as possible.

"Some of the fans I’ve spoken to have followed the Club through thick and thin. They talk about the times the Club was down at the bottom of Scottish football and it puts things into perspective where we are now.

"It’s a great chance for us players to engage with the fans and let them know what we’re up to. We all just want football to come back and particularly for some of the elderly supporters the football is one of the things they look forward to every week as a social event as much as anything.

"We chat with them for however long they want and we speak about football, the general situation we all find ourselves in and make sure they’re doing okay. It might only be a small thing, a five or ten minute phone call, but it has a massive effect."